Spring River Flower Moon Night: Set of 2 Volumes

Chapter 72 The Monkey's Claw (3)
"Zi Jin, I'm about to open the door, don't be afraid no matter what you see later." Fei Xiao said as she stretched out her hand to pull down the latch, and opened the door neatly.

The moment the door opened, a gust of wind rushed over.

The smell was fishy and stinky, like rotten fish and rotten shrimps that had been exposed to the hot sun for more than ten days, so that Wang Zijin immediately held his breath.Outside the open gate, there was a scorched-haired, long-haired, blue-faced, long-toothed evil spirit standing.

"Wow—" Although Wang Zijin was prepared in his heart, he still screamed in fright.

Isn't it the thief in black?How could it be such a terrifying ghost?He started to run away, but saw the ghost stretched out its long arms and grabbed him by the throat.

Immediately, Wang Zijin was caught by it and had difficulty breathing, his eyes were blurry, and he was about to rush to the underworld.

At this moment, a white hand stretched out diagonally, extremely fast, with fierce gestures, and in the same way, it grabbed the evil spirit's throat.

The ghost didn't even make a cry, it turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared in the cold night wind.

"What's going on here?" The prince escaped from the dead, and pressed his neck in a panic, "Why do they say that he is dressed as a thief? This is clearly an evil spirit."

"Evil is born from the heart. People in this family are always on guard against thieves. When encountering illusions, what they see is thieves. But if you are afraid of ghosts and gods, what you see is naturally evil ghosts."

"Could it be that all of this is fake?" Wang Zijin stammered and asked, and then saw Fei Xiao running away, her figure was like an arrow leaving the string, and she reached the door of the front hall in an instant.

Almost the moment he stepped over the threshold, a huge shadow jumped out of the door, which turned out to be the ghost that disappeared just now.

"Zi Jin, close the door quickly, and don't allow anyone to take the opportunity to come in." Fei Xiao raised her foot and kicked the ghost's head accurately, and it disappeared silently and out of thin air just like before.

After listening to Fei Xiao's order, Prince Jin quickly closed the door, dropped the latch, and guarded the door nervously, even though he was trembling all over with fright.

The night wind blew gently, and the cloud shadows fluttered.

Fei Xiao's figure was running like lightning, and in a blink of an eye, he rushed to the gate of the inner courtyard again. Gradually, the sound of his footsteps became farther and farther away, and the shouting became quieter.

In this deep midnight, he was the only one standing alone in the shadow of the lamp.

He was nervous and scared, and wanted to catch up with Feixiao to see what happened, but he was afraid that someone would take advantage of it, so he stood conscientiously in the night wind and guarded the gate.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps came from behind, as if someone was gradually approaching.

"Who?" Zijin shivered in fright, turned around hastily, and saw a man in black with suspicious appearance crawling in the long grass.

The man was taken aback when he saw Wang Zijin. He didn't seem to expect that there would be someone guarding the place. He immediately used his hands and feet to jump out of the wall quickly. The thin figure disappeared into the night in a blink of an eye.

He was agile and fast, so that Wang Zijin rubbed his eyes after he escaped, unable to figure out whether the glimpse just now was really an illusion.

"My son, my son." Just as Wang Zijin was still looking up at the tall gray wall in a daze, a burly man came out from the front hall quickly. It was Li Qing, the leader of the nursing home, "My wife called you Go there, please move quickly."

"Why did you come here?" Wang Zijin immediately jumped up anxiously, "I seem to have seen a thief invade just now."

"Actually, we don't want to do that either." Li Qing scratched his head embarrassingly, "But Mr. Hu specifically ordered that no one should be left in the yard tonight, and he would catch the thief alone. Otherwise, how dare we neglect?"

Wang Zijin couldn't say anything more, followed behind Li Qing, and came to a remote room after turning around.I saw a lamp in the room like a bean, and there was a man in white and a yellow dress sitting under the lamp, it was Fei Xiao and Mrs. Li.

"Zi Jin, I surprised you. I originally wanted to solve this matter alone, but I didn't expect you to rush out when I heard the knock on the door." Fei Xiao quickly comforted him as soon as she saw him, with a gentle and amiable attitude.

"It's okay, did you find any clues?" Wang Zijin originally wanted to criticize him, but now he only had the dumb man eating Coptis chinensis, swallowing all kinds of grievances into his stomach.

"I checked it, and it was indeed someone who drew a spell on the door and arranged illusions to make these weird things happen."

"Huh? Why don't you quickly remove the spell?"

Fei Xiao turned her head to look at Mrs. Li, and said with a smile, "It's not right now. I just discussed it with Mrs. Li, and now is not the time."

"Timing? What are you waiting for?"

"The person who arranged the talisman was able to stick the last talisman in front of the courtyard where I live. He is probably an inside ghost." Mrs. Li frowned and pondered, bright and colorful, "So I want to use my tricks to lure this person out."

"You, you have already thought of it? That's why you didn't let Li Qing and the others participate tonight?"

"Yes, apart from the three of us, there is no other person in this yard who can be trusted." Fei Xiao nodded with a smile, "Those people are loyal servants, but it is inevitable that they have hidden evil intentions. If he finds out that I have Seeing through his tricks will be extremely detrimental to future actions."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zijin sat down at the table again in a muffled voice.

Why is it always like this?

No matter what, he is the last one to know.Just like now, when Fei Xiao was flirting with that Mrs. Li under the lamp, he couldn't guess what kind of trick these two people were planning.

五

"Hey! What are you guys thinking? Can't you just say it out and listen?" Wang Zijin jumped up angrily when he saw the expressions of the two, and Mrs. Li was young and beautiful, not like an elder at all. Forgot to use it.

"Zi Jin, it's too late now, let's go to rest first, I'll make arrangements tomorrow." Fei Xiao blinked at him, her eyes flickering, agile and cunning.

"Really? You won't hide it from me this time?"

"How can I hide it from you? Tomorrow night, I will need your help."

"It's so good." Wang Zijin finally felt relieved, bid farewell to Mrs. Li with Fei Xiao, and went back to their rooms to rest.

At this time, there was a faint blue and white light in the sky, and a new day was about to begin. The prince fell asleep with his head covered when he returned to the guest room. Time passed quickly in his chaotic sleep. , it was almost dusk.

"Feixiao, are you there?" Prince Jin put on his clothes and went to pat on the door of the room where Feixiao lived. After two pats, he saw a green-shirted maid hurriedly approaching in the distance.

Seeing him, the servant girl couldn't help laughing, she smiled and said to him: "Prince Wang is finally up, my wife and Mr. Hu have been waiting for a long time."

"They really are, why didn't they wake me up earlier?" Wang Zijin blushed, muttering as he followed the maidservant towards the inner courtyard.

At this time, the setting sun was shining late, and the spring breeze was blowing, making the green bamboo forest in the yard rustle.Looking at the quiet scenery in front of him, he felt refreshed and happy. He walked casually, and without knowing it, he walked through the teahouse and came to Mrs. Li's bedroom under the guidance of the maid.

What came to his face was a pungent aroma, so rich that it was almost impossible to breathe, and he immediately pulled back his swaying mind, only to realize that he was standing in an elegantly furnished, spacious and bright room.

In the center of the room stands a screen with patterns of flowers and birds. There is a looming figure behind the screen, and there seems to be a person sitting behind it.

This situation was almost the same as yesterday afternoon. Without thinking about it, he bowed to that person and asked curiously: "I have seen Mrs. Li, but I don't know why there is only Mrs. Li in this room? Fei Xiao, let him go where?"

"My lord, forget about that friend of yours, come and have a drink with me." The person behind the screen spoke in a flirtatious tone, laughing and talking, and there was the faint sound of pouring wine.

"Ma'am, it's not good to drink and have fun in broad daylight?" He was taken aback for a moment, because his tone sounded like that of a woman selling wine in a tavern, not at all like that dignified and elegant Mrs. Li.

"What? Don't you dare drink with me?" The person behind the screen smiled even more coquettishly.

"Drink it, why don't you dare?" Wang Zijin was so excited by her, he took a step, and was about to get the wine.

Unexpectedly, before he could go around, a cold and hard hand stretched out from behind the screen, and grabbed his wrist.

"Wow! Who are you?" Wang Zijin was quite frightened, because this hand was well-articulated and powerful, it shouldn't be owned by a woman at all.

"Hee hee hee, Zijin, take a closer look! Am I my wife?" He was still in shock, but saw a white shadow flash in front of him, and a tall, tall man appeared from behind the screen. With a trace of heroism, he is clearly a man.

"Fei Hong, it turned out to be you. You scared me to death." Wang Zijin heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he saw him. Although he had seen him pretending to be someone else's voice before, he never expected that his deception skills would become more and more sophisticated. I can't even tell myself.

"If even you can't recognize me, then it's even more impossible for others." Fei Xiao lifted her clothes, sat back neatly behind the screen, and poured a cup of hot tea for the prince. "How is it? Now I don't tell you Do you know what to do tonight?"

"You want to pretend to be Mrs. Li and stay in this room to catch thieves?"

"That's right." Fei Xiao squinted her eyes and smiled, as cunning as a fox, "Tonight we will use our tricks to create chaos and lure that thief into the bait."

Wang Zijin thought of the black figure he saw in front of the gate last night, and couldn't help being a little scared, "Fei Xiao, the thief may also be an outsider, you have to be careful."

"No matter who it is, I will make him show up tonight." Fei Xiao said, drinking the tea in the cup confidently.

The green tea was shaking non-stop, reflecting two young faces, one was worried and the other was determined to win, forming a stark contrast.

Wang Zijin didn't see Mrs. Li that day, presumably she was too busy making arrangements to separate herself.While eating in the living room with Fei Xiao, he squinted at the people around him.

Whether it was the old Cui Bo or the young Li Qing, even the maidservants serving tea and water, all looked as usual without any abnormalities, as if this night was the same as the thousands of nights in the past.

However, Wang Zijin knew that on this late night, the answer to the mystery hidden under the turbulent undercurrent would be revealed soon.

The sky outside the window is getting darker, and the tall walls and graceful weeping willows are dyed with deep and shallow shadows, and finally the sky is turned into a black curtain, and the last ray of sunlight on the horizon has also converged in color.

The night is finally here!
"Fei Xiao, what are we going to do next?" Upon returning to the room, Wang Zijin closed the door tightly and asked Fei Xiao nervously, "When do you plan to go there?"

"Wait a minute, she's coming..." Fei Xiao calmly pointed to the door, "I'll send you to a safe place first."

"Who is she you're talking about? Could it be Mrs. Li?" Wang Zijin hadn't finished speaking when he heard a knock on the door behind him.

Fei Xiao hurriedly took a step, and opened the door, and a thin and small person dressed as a domestic servant quickly entered the door.As soon as this person entered the door, the small room was filled with fragrance, and it was no need to guess that it was Mrs. Li who liked incense.

"Why did Madam dress up like this?" Wang Zijin was taken aback when he saw that she had changed into men's clothes.

"I pretended to be her and waited for the rabbit. Madam will naturally take the treasure and hide elsewhere." Fei Xiao smiled at Prince Jin, "Zi Jin, that's why I want you to help me protect Madam during this period of time."

"Of course, a man is born to protect women and children." The prince saw that his task was arduous, and a sense of pride welled up in his chest.

"The old man would like to thank the prince." Mrs. Li's eyes were like autumn waters, and she bowed to the prince, charming and pitiful, not like an old woman in sixties at all.

"Let's go now, I wonder if Madam has found a suitable hiding place?"

"It's the hut in the backyard. The room is very small, with only one window and one door. Housekeeper Cui used it to lock up disobedient servants on weekdays, so the doors and windows are very strong. If they are locked from the outside, no one can enter or leave."

"That's great, let's go there now." Fei Xiao frowned and thought for a while, then finally nodded, "But I must drop this lock with my own hands, otherwise I can't feel at ease."

Wang Zijin knew that he was always cautious and suspicious, so he didn't say any more, and quickly blew out the candles in the room, and the three of them tiptoed out of the room.

There was a bright moon in the sky, hanging quietly on the treetops. The three walked on the grass, walked through the courtyard, and soon came to the hut that Mrs. Li had mentioned.

The hut was inconspicuous in appearance, with iron bars on the windows and two iron beams on the door, it was indeed very strong.

"Are we going to stay here overnight?" Wang Zijin looked at the wooden house and felt conflicted. This house is no different from a prison.

"Maybe it won't take overnight." Mrs. Li didn't care, and went in to light an oil lamp, "If Mr. Hu goes well, it may only take two hours."

Under the oil lamp, on the square table, there was still a pot of tea and two teacups standing upright.

"You can't drink tonight, Mr. Wang, you and I can only replace wine with tea and chat to relax." Mrs. Li sat at the table with a smile, and took out a black wooden box from her bosom. , gently placed on the wooden table, "If you accidentally get drunk, it will be bad if you lose the treasure."

Fei Xiao looked around the small room, but found nothing unusual, told the prince to come in, and then locked the door from the outside.But he walked a few steps and turned back, reached into his arms, took out a jade flute from his chest, and handed it to Wang Zijin through the window, "Zi Jin, you take this. Remember! If there is danger, first Protect yourself!"

"I know, you have to be careful." Wang Zijin reached out to take the jade flute, and nodded firmly at him.

Only then did Fei Xiao feel relieved, pretending to be relaxed, she smiled, and ran quickly into the dark night.A silver-white back, like a lonely solitary bird, is swallowed up by the thick and colorful darkness in an instant.

六

Feixiao's footsteps were light and quick, like a rabbit rising and falling, a white shadow quickly passed through the courtyard and came to Mrs. Li's bedroom in the backyard.

Seeing that there was no one around, he opened the window latch as soon as he stretched out his hand, and jumped into the room without a sound.

The room is full of fragrance, the rich fragrance, like the spreading tide, seems to swallow the soul of people.He walked in the darkness as if walking through the day, and soon touched the screen from the window.

During this period, he passed through three doors, and there was a maid waiting in front of each door, but no one found his trace.

Success or failure will be determined in one fell swoop tonight!
Fei Xiao sat under the bright moon, behind the screen, with a confident smile on the corner of her mouth. Sure enough, within a short while, there was a lot of noise in the front yard.

"Ma'am, Li Qing and the others seem to be following Mr. Hu's instructions and sprinkling dog blood on the door to drive away evil spirits. There is a lot of excitement over the gate." A little maid ran over in a panic, her tone implied excitement, as if she had never seen such a thing.

"Let them go..." He squeezed his throat, and a sweet female voice came out of his mouth, "As long as the strange things don't happen again."

"I'll go over and have a look, and I'll let you know if there's any progress." After the little maid finished speaking, she ran around to watch the fun again.

In the empty room, only Fei Xiao was left.

There are still two hours, and the time seems to stand still, which is extremely long.

He has a lively nature and is always active. After sitting for a while, he felt bored, and began to fumble uncontrollably with his hands. After touching a pile of books, pens and ink under the table, his slender fingers accidentally touched a round earthen jar.

What will it contain?No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like something that should appear in the inner room.

Fei Xiao stretched out her hand and moved the jar to the light, only to see that the jar was about a foot high, with a big mouth and a small belly, flat and round in shape, very much like a container for storing pickles in ordinary people's homes.

Could it be that Mrs. Li is as greedy as she is, and she doesn't forget to reach out for something to eat when she dreams back in the middle of the night?It's just that she prefers pickled vegetables?
The more he thought about it, the more impossible he was, and he carefully lifted the lid.

In the dim moonlight, it was clearly visible that the jar was filled with white powder. Curiously, he stretched out his finger, dipped a little powder, and brought it to the tip of his nose.

A pungent smell suddenly rushed into my mind, the jar was actually full of lime!
(End of this chapter)