Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 40
Daoist Pinewood was a little flustered, and hurriedly shouted: "You two useless guys, don't make a fool of yourself here, and lie down for me quickly." The little deaf and dumb child immediately lay back in the wooden box obediently.Daoist Songmu separated the head and body of the two people with wooden boards, switched the two heads from side to side, and put them back on each person.The little deaf and mute crawled out of the box, intact and undisturbed.Someone couldn't help being curious, pulled the two of them over, stared at their necks, turned around, but couldn't see any traces.

I don't know who took the lead, everyone didn't even eat their food, they pushed the bowls and chopsticks, and Zhen Tianjie shouted.

When the guests finished the banquet and drank tea while picking their teeth, Daoist Pine showed two unique skills for everyone. After eating and drinking, everyone was full of energy and kept patting hand.

After the performance of Daoist Pine Wood, it was already dark.The manager said: "It's been hard work for the Taoist priest. There is a table of banquets over there. There are meat and vegetables. Please eat quickly. I have ordered three quiet rooms to be cleaned up. I ask the Taoist priest and apprentice to rest here tonight." Let’s do it.” Seeing that it was getting late and it was difficult to go back to the monastery, Taoist Priest Song Mu said, “Okay, I’ll share one room with the little deaf, and two rooms are enough for us.” The manager said, “Okay ", and went down to make arrangements.

Xiulin is located at the junction of Hunan and Hubei. Influenced by Hunan customs, ordinary people love to listen to Huagu Opera.Qiao Yuting had already ordered people to set up a stage in the yard and invited the Huagu Drama Troupe.As soon as the banquet here is over, "Liu Hai Chops Wood" has already been sung in the yard over there:
Little Liu Hai bid farewell to his mother in the hut, dude,
Take a walk to the mountains and forests on your shoulders;

Unfortunately, my father died in his early years.
Leaving the mother and child to spend time;

I really hope that the beggar wife will serve the mother,
Who is willing to come and make this marriage with me, dude.

……

Daoist Songmu is a fan of flower drum opera, once he sits in front of the stage, he refuses to get up.Hearing it engrossed, he shook his head, tapped the time, and hummed a few words along with Liu Hai on the stage.Until midnight, I saw Liu Hai leading the fairy-like Sister Hu home, and the couple lived a harmonious and beautiful life, and then went back to bed.

Little Deaf lived in the same room with him and had already gone to bed and slept soundly.Daoist Songmu lit a candle, and was about to turn around and close the door, when suddenly a figure flickered, and a person came in from outside the door, but it was Shi Jiacheng.Shi Jiacheng arched his body, with a person on his back.The man reeked of alcohol, as if he was drunk.Taoist Songmu took a closer look, and found that the man was Qiao Yuting, the groom's official.

Daoist Songmu was a little surprised, and asked, "Master Shi, what's the matter?"

Shi Jiacheng laughed dryly and said: "It's nothing. I drank with the groom officer. He drank a few more glasses and got a little drunk. I carried him back to the new house. I saw the lights in the Taoist room on the way, so I came to have a look."

Daoist Song Mu looked at Qiao Yuting on his back, frowned and said, "He's already passed out, you should carry him back quickly and ask the bride to make him a cup of sober tea."

Shi Jiacheng answered "Yes, yes, yes", but stood by the door, refusing to move, and said with a smile: "The performance of 'Living People Changing Heads' performed by Taoist Master today is really amazing!"

As the saying goes, when a night owl enters the house, he will come for nothing.Daoist Song Mu saw that he had come to visit late at night, so he must have some intentions, so he replied flatly: "Thank you, thank you."

Shi Jiacheng said: "During the performance of the Taoist priest, Shi was too far away, so he couldn't see clearly. It's a bit regrettable."

Knowing that he came here, Daoist Songmu must not be here to say a few polite words, so he gave a soft "oh" and didn't say much, just fixed his eyes on him.

Shi Jiacheng said: "Jiacheng has an unfeeling request, and I hope the Taoist priest will fulfill it."

Daoist Songmu said: "Young Master Shi, you are being polite, please speak up if you have something to say."

Shi Jiacheng said: "Jiacheng has an idea, and wants to ask the Taoist priest to perform that 'live person's head change' trick again, right here in this room, so that Jiacheng can see it clearly at close range and enjoy it. "

Daoist Song Mu said: "This...it's okay, but the two disciples of the old Daoist are already asleep..."

Shi Jiacheng hurriedly said: "It's okay, the helper is ready-made, so I asked the Taoist priest to put me and the bridegroom officer in a wooden box, see if we can change our heads, and let us experience it for ourselves."

Daoist Songmu looked at him, then at Qiao Yuting who was drunk and unconscious, with a look of embarrassment on his face, and said, "This..."

Shi Jiacheng smiled and handed over ten oceans, and said: "As long as the Taoist leader can satisfy my curiosity, the ten oceans will be your reward. Of course, Jiacheng has a small request, if the Taoist leader changes Success, please ask Jiacheng to take a stroll outside with the groom's head on his head to see if anyone else can recognize my real identity. If you cover everyone else up, it means that your spells are really good, waiting for you After you change the head back for me, Jiacheng will definitely thank you again."

Daoist Songmu took Dayang, weighed it in his palm, and said, "Okay, the old Daoist promised you."

The planks from the daytime show were well bundled and placed in the room.Daoist Songmu was familiar with the road, and quickly put together two wooden boxes. He visually measured the heights of Shi Jiacheng and Qiao Yuting, and said: "The box was originally made for my two little apprentices, and it looks a little short. You Let's curl up and lie down."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Shi Jiacheng couldn't help being overjoyed, thanked him, and hurriedly picked up the groom who was sleeping soundly and unconscious, stuffed him into a wooden box, climbed into the box on the other side, and curled up Lie down, just like the deaf and dumb performance during the banquet, with half of his head exposed outside the box.

Daoist Pine asked, "Are you ready?"

Shi Jiacheng nodded and said: "It's been prepared long ago, just waiting for you to cast the spell."

Daoist Songmu covered the wooden box, held the Dharma sword in his hand, muttered the Dharma, and said in his mouth: "Don't blame the Taishang Laojun, this disciple will eliminate great harm for the people today."

Shi Jiacheng was confused and asked, "Master, what did you say?"

Daoist Songmu smiled slightly, and said, "Master Shi, do you think there is really a head-changing technique in the world?"

Shi Jiacheng was stunned, and said: "If there is no such technique in the world, how can the priest change the heads of the two apprentices during the banquet?"

Daoist Song Mu laughed and said, "That's just a trick to deceive one's eyes. If not, how could it lead you into my trap?"

Shi Jiacheng's expression changed: "What, what did you say?"

Daoist Pinewood lowered his face, and said coldly: "You want to change heads with Boss Qiao, pretending to be the groom's official and entering the bridal chamber with the bride? Are you bullying the old Taoist, so you can't see your sinister intentions?"

Seeing his bright eyes and murderous look, Shi Jiacheng couldn't help shivering, screaming that something was wrong, and eagerly wanted to kick off the lid of the box and jump out.Unexpectedly, the wooden plank seemed to be nailed to death by iron nails, and it could not be kicked open.

Before he could yell out, a cold light flashed, and Daoist Pine's sword had already fallen from his neck...

……

In the early morning of the next day, when Qiao's family was sweeping the floor, they found that the door of Shi Jiacheng's room was open, with a bloody human head hanging on the door beam. They screamed and almost fainted from fright.When everyone heard the cry, they rushed over to see that there was still a headless naked corpse lying in Shi Jiacheng's room.A few brave servants took off the head hanging from the door beam and put it back on the naked body.

The manager of the Qiao Mansion saw it, and immediately exclaimed: "Oh, I know this man. Yesterday he kept trying to break into the mansion to find Mr. Shi. I saw that he was not coming in a good way. I was afraid that he would trouble Mr. Shi. I didn't dare to let him in. I didn't expect this guy to sneak into the mansion at night. Judging from the situation, I'm afraid he had a conflict with Mr. Shi..."

Qiao Yuting's face turned pale, and he asked, "Where is Mr. Shi?"

The family said: "I haven't seen him since dawn."

The police arrived soon after hearing the news.The case couldn't be more obvious. The deceased seemed to have some quarrel with Shi Jiacheng. Last night, he climbed over the wall and entered Qiao's house. He wanted to trouble Shi Jiacheng, but was killed by Shi Jiacheng.After Shi Jiacheng murdered, he was afraid and fled overnight.Because the county magistrate was involved, the police couldn't entangle too much, so they quickly ended the on-site investigation and dragged away the dead body.

Afterwards, Shi Jingshen, the county magistrate of Xiulin County, came out and corrected that Shi Jiacheng committed the murder in self-defense and should not be held criminally responsible.But Shi Gongzi absconded in fear of crime, but never came back.Of course, this is a story.

However, Taoist Songmu said goodbye to Qiao Yuting that day, came out of Qiao's house, passed through the woods, walked in, came to Zheng Shaotang's grave, opened the package on his back, took out a bloody head, took out incense sticks and paper money, and paid homage to Zheng Shaotang. After passing Zheng Shaotang, he took some dry firewood, set a fire in front of the grave, and burned the head.

No one knows whose head it was.

(End of this chapter)