Spring River Flower Moon Night: Set of 2 Volumes

Chapter 71 The Monkey's Claw (2)
"I have something to ask." Fei Xiao asked the old man curiously, "What kind of treasure is in the box? It attracts people to steal it in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know about this either..." The old man's face showed a look of embarrassment, "Only my master has seen the contents inside, the two of you will have dinner first, and later my master will thank you both in person. Ask her."

"Ah? Isn't the old man the owner of this house?" Wang Zijin couldn't help but turn pale with shock.

"How could it be?" The old man enthusiastically poured wine for them, "I'm just a housekeeper, my surname is Cui, just call me Cui Bo."

"What kind of person is the owner of the Li family?" Fei Xiao was also very curious, "To be able to maintain such a large family business, he must be a shrewd and capable person?"

"Smart and strong is a must." Tribo said while drinking with them, "She is older than me, and she is a lady."

This time Wang Zijin almost spit out a sip of wine.

Seeing that this old man is over sixty years old, it is a miracle in the world that an old woman who is older than him does not have dementia and can still manage such a large family business.

Afterwards, the two asked about the lady, but Tribo still refused to talk about it. The old man stood up and took them to the inner room for tea after they were full of wine and food.

The two followed him, walked through the corridor, turned left and right, and came to a quiet room covered with bamboo curtains.

There are green bamboos planted outside the house, and the occasional breeze blows through, making a graceful and moving sound among the leaves.A pretty maid in green clothes was standing by the door with her hands down, looking at them with a smile on her face.

Looking at the elegant scenery in front of him and the beauty's beautiful face, Wang Zijin lost his mind for a moment, as if he had fallen into a beautiful dream.

"My lord, my lord, I have heard Li Qing and the others talk about the two of you. Thank you for your kindness and coming to the humble house to taste tea." Just when the prince was in a trance, a painting of distant mountain scenery A beautiful voice came from behind the screen.

"Please, may I ask, where is Mrs. Li?" Wang Zijin looked at the slim figure reflected on the screen and asked curiously, "Could it be that she doesn't want to see us?"

"Hehehe, how could it be?" The woman behind the screen smiled happily, "I am Mrs. Li."

After finishing speaking, she stepped out slowly from behind the screen, and saw her beautiful face, beautiful face, wearing a dark purple dress, she did not look like an old woman at all, but a girl with cardamom.

Even the moment she walked out, Wang Zijin felt that his breathing stopped slightly, and his mind was seized by her dazzling brilliance.

Mrs. Li nodded and smiled at Wang Zijin, as a greeting, but when she saw Fei Xiao, she couldn't help but froze for a moment, and didn't even show any sign.

Wang Zijin had never drank such an untasteful tea, he was sitting on pins and needles, after several cups of tea, he didn't know whether to be nervous or afraid.

She is indeed an old man, because listening to her slowly talk about the dusty past decades ago, the details are clear, as if she had seen it personally, not at all fabricated.

It's just that such an old man, why does he have the face of a girl?

"The two young masters must be curious about my appearance, right?" Mrs. Li didn't shy away from it at all, and cut straight to the point, "Actually, when it comes to this, I have to talk about the treasure that Prince Wang took back last night."

"Oh? Let me guess?" Feixiao pursed her lips and smiled, and rolled her eyes, "Could it be that the box contained monkey's paws?"

"How do you know?" Mrs. Li was extremely surprised, "Ordinary people would never have heard of it."

"Because Zijin said it was something like a tree branch, and the wife is over sixty years old, and she is still so young and beautiful. Based on these two points, what else could it be other than a monkey's paw?"

"What is a monkey's paw?" It was the first time Wang Zijin heard such a thing.

"It's a kind of voodoo fetish. It is said that it can satisfy the master's three wishes, and my youth is obtained through it." Mrs. Li quickly regained her composure, holding a teacup and talking.

"Any wish?"

"It's all right..." She nodded affirmatively, "To be rich in the world, to stay young forever, to live forever, as long as you can think of it, it can satisfy you..."

Wang Zijin felt his hands were covered with cold sweat, and tightly grasped the hem of his clothes.Why is she telling herself this?Do you really trust them, or do you have other meanings?
He looked at Feixiao as if asking for help, but saw that he was dressed in white, holding a green teacup and concentrating on drinking tea, but there was always a faint smile on his lips, which seemed to imply deep meaning.

three

"I have an unfeeling request. I wonder if Madam can show Xiaosheng this treasure?" Fei Xiao put on a modest and elegant demeanor, and said with a smile, "After all, such a fetish is rare in the world."

"I don't know how long I have lived, and I have long since lost my concern for these external things." Mrs. Li walked to the back of the screen generously, and took out a long and narrow black wooden box, "As for whether you can see it, it depends on your own. Fate."

"Oh? Why did Madam say that?"

"My lord, try it yourself and you will know..." Mrs. Li raised her delicate hand, put the wooden box on the table, and pushed it in front of Feixiao.

Her eyes are like lacquer, black as a bottomless pool, and there is always a faint smile on her mouth, which is elusive.

"Thank you, madam, I will be impolite." Fei Xiao nodded her head in thanks, stretched out her hands, and tightly grasped the edge of the wooden box.

After a little force, the lid of the box did not move at all.

Wang Zijin knew that Fei Xiao was not human, and his hand strength was also different from ordinary people. This seemingly understatement actually implied a lot of strength.

However, he didn't open the box after this lift, which is really unusual.

"What? It's hard to open?" Wang Zijin poked his head curiously, "Why don't you try again? I also spent a lot of effort when I opened it last night."

Fei Xiao pursed her lips and remained silent, and exerted force with her hands again. This time, he obviously used [-]% of his strength, and even his knuckles turned blue and white, but the wooden box was still airtight, without even a single gap.

"I can't open this wooden box, I really made my wife laugh." He shook his head and smiled, and put the wooden box on the table again, "If I hadn't held it with my own hands, I would have thought it was made of a whole piece of black iron , there is no possibility of opening it at all.”

"But I opened it last night, otherwise how would I know that it contained something that looked like a branch?" Wang Zijin didn't believe his words at all, and reached out to try the wooden box.

"Forget it, let me tell you the whole story." Mrs. Li raised her hand and tucked the box on the table into her sleeves, obviously not wanting others to touch her treasure. "This box looks ordinary, but it's actually hidden. Mystery."

"Could someone have cast a spell on it?" Fei Xiao thought for a while, then said in a low voice.

"That's right, it's a spell." Mrs. Li nodded and smiled, "This is what my husband came up with. He was afraid that the monkey's paw would fall into the hands of villains, so he searched thousands of mountains and found an expert from the outside world. Added a curse. Only those who have a pure heart and have a relationship with this treasure can open it."

"I, I'm one of the few who can open it?" Wang Zijin was so excited that he stuttered, "So Ma'am, you won't let me see it?"

"The old man is for the sake of your son..." Mrs. Li smiled coquettishly, she looked no different from a young girl, "Although the monkey's paw can satisfy people's wishes, it is a monster that deceives people. If you see it, It will be remembered forever, unless the three wishes are fulfilled."

"Madam, can you open it yourself?" Wang Zijin asked curiously.

"When I opened it, it hadn't been cursed yet." Mrs. Li put the wooden box away properly, and looked at Wang Zijin with a smile, "You are so stupid, if I haven't opened it, how could I have such a treasure?" Young face and such a huge family business?"

Wang Zijin looked at her beautiful face, and his cheeks became faintly hot.

This Mrs. Li obviously looked a few years younger than him, but she talked about "children", which made him restless and extremely embarrassed.

"Madam told us so much, it must not be to show off the treasures." Seeing that she had talked for so long, but still had no intention of seeing off the guests, Fei Xiao already had some concerns in her heart.

"Of course, otherwise, I wouldn't have invited the two of you here today." Mrs. Li sighed, "You are all educated people, and you must know what it means to be a gentleman without guilt, but to conceive a jade is a crime. Although I am not a virtuous person , but caused a lot of trouble because of owning this treasure."

"Could it be that someone came to steal it?" This time without waiting for her to tell, Wang Zijin had already guessed the reason, after all, he happened to meet a gentleman on Liang Shang last night.

"Those thieves are easy to deal with, and Li Qing's servants can take care of them." Mrs. Li sighed, "But in the past month, some strange thieves suddenly appeared at home."

"Strange thief? Why do you say that?" Fei Xiao suddenly became interested, obviously forgetting her original intention of visiting Li's house.

"Those thieves come and go without a trace. Whenever they are about to be caught, they will turn into smoke and disappear." Mrs. Li's face showed panic, "I have never seen such a terrible thing in my life, although They didn't succeed, and they also disturbed my sleep and food, and I have no sleep at night."

"So Madam wants us to help you?" Fei Xiao said while lowering her head in thought, as if she was thinking about something.

"Because the thief who succeeded last night was stopped by Mr. Wang, and Mr. Wang happened to open the wooden box. This may not be God's will! I think I have a destiny with you, so I want to ask for help." Mrs. Li looked at Fei Xiao, "And if I'm not mistaken, this Mr. Hu is not very human, right? I have lived for so long, and I can perceive some things that humans cannot perceive."

"Madam is really Minghui." Fei Xiao smiled modestly, "I do know some crude spells, but I hope Madam can describe the strange things that happened in detail."

"So you agreed to me? That's great!" Mrs. Li was so happy that she couldn't help showing a little girly look, "I can finally feel relieved."

When the prince came to see her, he could tell that Fei Xiao was not a human being, and he couldn't help feeling a little awe in his heart, "Madam, please tell me in detail."

"When those thieves come, they are no different from robbers." Mrs. Li said in a trembling voice with fear on her face, "Every midnight, there will be a knocking sound from the gate. The ears can still hear clearly."

"And then?" Fei Xiao's eyes were shining brightly, obviously very interested in this strange incident.

"On the first day, Li Qing opened the door with a group of martial arts guards. At first, they thought it was a passer-by who was in trouble, so they rushed to the door anxiously for help. When they opened the door, they saw a man standing outside the door. A man in black."

"Could it be that there are such confident thieves in this world?"

"Li Qing and the others saw that the visitor was not friendly, so they naturally turned their swords on each other, and wanted to drive him out of the door, but at this moment, something even more bizarre happened."

"Speak quickly, ma'am." This time even Fei Xiao couldn't help urging.

"As soon as the sword and stick greeted the man, he immediately turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared into the air." Mrs. Li's face showed horror, "and when they turned around, they saw that the man in black had already passed through. Courtyard, appeared in front of the gate of the front hall. No one saw how he passed by. After catching up and fighting again, the same thing would happen again. The only difference is that every time he disappears, he will move forward The distance from the door, coming and going without a trace is no different from ghosts."

"This is a trick of suspicious soldiers, most of the thieves have someone else."

"Young Master Hu, we think the same thing." Mrs. Li looked at Fei Xiao approvingly and said, "So I immediately increased the manpower to guard the room where the treasures are kept, and forbid them to leave half a step. As for the figures in the yard, I just let them go."

"Then what else is there to worry about?" Wang Zijin asked curiously.

"But it's like this every night, and no one can be disturbed. Recently, some servants have secretly spread that there are monsters haunting this house. Although I don't believe in ghosts and gods, I still feel frightened." Mrs. Li choked up, "If there are really ghosts, I was so afraid that it was my deceased husband who came to seek revenge on me."

"Why did he take revenge on you?" Wang Zijin was even more confused.

"Because he forbids me to get close to the monkey's paw, and I not only secretly opened the box behind his back, but also made a wish." Mrs. Li's face was pale and trembling, "He once said that even death would never forgive me! The more I think about it The more I feel that this ghost of unknown origin is him."

"How can a mortal resist the temptation of a monster?" Fei Xiao comforted her softly, "Ma'am, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault."

It was almost evening at this time, and the setting sun reflected blood, turning the green screen into a blood red, as if some kind of terrifying monster was slowly approaching with the shadow of the night.

four

Due to Mrs. Li's ardent persuasion, the two could not refuse, so they stayed at Li's house overnight.

After dinner that night, Wang Zijin looked at the flickering candles, feeling uneasy, "Fei Xiao, who the hell do you think knocked on the door every night? Could it really be Mr. Li turned into a monster?" ?”

"You'll know only if you've seen it." Sitting under the candlelight, Fei Xiao suddenly looked at Wang Zijin flirtatiously, "Zi Jin, have you noticed the smell on Mrs. Li's body?"

Wang Zijin blushed when he asked, "At that time, I thought it was an old lady who saw us, but I didn't expect it to be a girl younger than me. I was surprised before it was too late. I didn't have the time to pay attention to the smell."

"A person at such an age should have a very peaceful mind, which can be seen from the furnishings in her room, but why does she still have such a choking fragrance on her body?" Fei Xiao frowned slightly, seeming very worried puzzled.

When Wang Zijin mentioned it to him, he remembered that there was indeed a strong fragrance exuding from Mrs. Li's body, which made it almost impossible to breathe.

"As a woman, how many people don't like incense?" Wang Zijin snorted immediately, "I don't believe that one day I will take you to the coral to listen to the pipa, and the fragrance in her room will be several times higher. Since you are interested in studying women's It’s better to pay more attention to the strange knock on the door in the middle of the night.”

"Don't pay attention to that, what should come will come naturally." Feihong smiled and said to him, "I'm just a little curious, what kind of medicine is sold in this half-human, half-demon old woman's gourd?"

Wang Zijin had a good impression of the youthful Mrs. Li, and felt that she had both the dignity of a woman and the delicacy of a girl, so he was very heartbroken.

Hearing Fei Xiao address her like that at this time, she felt immediately unhappy, and walked back to her room in anger.

Anyway, in Fei Xiao's eyes, a beauty is always no different from a white bone, and it doesn't make sense to talk to him until midnight, so it's better to take the opportunity to rest than to spend too much time talking.

Because the experience during the day was too strange, Wang Zijin almost fell into a deep sleep the moment he lay down on the bed with his clothes on.

The dream was dark and gloomy, and he was the only one sitting in front of a square table. On the table was a dark, long and narrow wooden box, which was the one he opened the night before.

The box seemed to be a living spirit, and a small voice came out.

Open it up and take a look!
Open it up and take a look!
It will be alright!
It was too sweet to refuse, so he reached out and opened the box like the night before.But this time, before he could see what was in the box, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, and a sharp long knife was already resting on his throat.

He trembled in fright, and the wooden box in his hand fell to the ground with a bang, and a shriveled, skinless, brown claw rolled out from inside.

"Wow—" he screamed in fright, and immediately woke up from the dream.

Looking around, I saw that the night was deep and black as ink, and there was the sound of knocking on the door coming from the front yard. The sound was harsh, endless, and very disturbing.

He jumped up from the bed and was about to go to the gate to see what happened.There were so many shadows on the corridor, and none of the servants and nurses wandering around during the day could be seen.

Following the source of the voice, he quickly touched the door, and saw under the moonlight, there was a tall person in white clothes like snow, it was Feixiao.

"Fei Xiao, when did you come out? Why didn't you call me?" When Wang Zijin saw that it was him, he immediately felt relieved, and quickly ran towards the gate.

"Shhh—" Feixiao turned her beautiful eyes, smiled at him, and pointed to the doorway, "Here we come."

The door was smashed to the ground, and every time the man knocked on the door, the cast iron latch would creak and groan, as if it might fail at any moment.

(End of this chapter)