A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

"The pastor is intoxicated with my body...he told me about the illegitimate son of Van Garley's family. If he is not eliminated, I will be easily implicated in this series of cases. As for my silly sister, she dared to contact him secretly. A few foreigners! She wants to be a stumbling block, and I will do her wish."

Mary walked slowly to Katrina's side, licked her lips, touched the girl's face with her hand, and said with a sneer, "I'm afraid you don't know, your mother was also killed by me, you just need to touch her. Add something different to the medicine... To be honest, the talents of your mother and daughter are really not very good, and you don't deserve to be called a 'witch' at all!"

"Are you worthy?!" Katrina didn't have the expression Mary expected to see on her face, only deep sadness and suppressed anger. She slapped her stepmother's hand off, gritted her teeth and said, "You You turned your back on the spirit of nature and fell into the embrace of darkness; you killed your own blood relatives and used beauty as a bait to control others; you did not hesitate to kill for property and committed heinous crimes!"

"Crime?! Crime?! Isn't it a crime for Fan Garley to drive the serfs into the wild? Oh, it really isn't a crime according to American law...well, I didn't commit a crime either. What's the matter? Even that little police officer in New York went back in despair, so you want to convict me? Wait here to die, the knight will be here soon!" Mary pushed the petite Katrina to the ground, Holding the skull and sneering.

But she didn't laugh for long, when she saw a person who should never be here, appearing from behind the pine tree beside the ruined house.

Ichab strode forward, helped Katrina up, and said to Mary: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fantasso... But as far as I know about American law, the suspect himself was not forced to Confessions are enough to incriminate. Especially now that I have used a new technique unknown to the police to extract the same finger print from the ax in the cabin, the pot you once held at home... Fan Mister Tasso?"

Bottes Fantasso, who was neither ill nor fainted, also turned out from behind another pine tree, staring at Mary with a look of pain in his eyes.

"Mary, I thought you... loved me."

Mary stared at several people with her tongue gaping, and after a while she figured out what happened: "So this is a trap, you all worked together to trick me into appearing."

"As Uncle Nine told me...'The wisher takes the bait', ma'am. You're under arrest."

Ichab patted Katrina on the back to calm her down, and at the same time raised her head and said coldly to Mary.

"...How dare you say... Now that you know everything, don't you think that I would come here without any preparation?" Mary said bitterly, clenched the skull in her hand: "Didn't you hear the hoofbeats?"

"I told her she wouldn't be caught without a fight. You guys just hide."

Another voice appeared behind him, this time it was Uncle Jiu who came out from behind the pine tree.

Mary turned her head quickly, but Uncle Nine had already thrown a thread towards her...it was a circle formed by the ink fountain thread, and it flew over a distance of two or three meters with perfect precision, just catching the nails of her index finger, middle finger and ring finger , then flicked it down hard, then slid down along these three fingers of hers, pulling her fingertips back.

Marie, who was tightly strangled by the ink fountain line, let out a cry of pain. She could no longer hold the skeleton steady, so she had to watch it fall. caught it.

Qiusheng got the object and immediately jumped up again. Before Mary could react, he jumped back behind the pine tree in three steps at a time and disappeared.

At this time, no matter how stupid Mary Archer was, she knew what was going on. Fear rose from the bottom of her heart, and she screamed the name of the spirit of nature she had served wholeheartedly: "No! Lisa!"

At night, a layer of mist rises from the ground that has just reached the feet. The sound of horseshoes penetrates the night fog, and the sound of horseshoes is getting closer and closer.

The Hessian knight rode his war horse "not afraid of death", brandished his long sword within a few breaths, and charged all the way from the forest.

"Qiu Sheng!" Uncle Jiu called out hastily.

The figures of the two apprentices emerged from behind the tree, looked at each other, nodded, and together they threw the things in their hands towards the knight.

The headless horseman suddenly reined in the reins, and the tall black war horse hissed long and fast. He swung his front hooves and stood up with the rider on his back. He grabbed the skull thrown by the two of them in the air. hand.

Everyone present seemed to have heard a long low moan, and watched as the knight stuck the long sword in his hand on the ground, held the skull in both hands, and pressed it on his dark neckline.

There seemed to be a flash of blue flames, but there seemed to be no; black smoke emerged from the neckline, followed by strands of flesh and blood, like reptiles avoiding flooding in rainy days, crawling all over the whole place from bottom to top. skull.From the trapezius and platysma to the buccal and forehead muscles, from the tongue to the eyes to the hair, and finally covering the skull from the inside out, it changed into the annoying appearance 20 years ago.

However, the knight himself was quite satisfied. He stretched out his hand and drew his sword to point to the sky, and roared silently upwards. Even the dark clouds that swept over seemed to be frightened and rolled over by him.

After doing this, his little yellow eyes turned to stare at Mary, and a happy smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He kicked the steed in the stomach and set it galloping again like a black cloud blown by a strong wind.

Before Mary could finish a complete sentence, the knight picked her up by the waist, put her on the horse's back, and kissed her fiercely.Her mouth was bleeding profusely from the knight's sharp teeth, and she cried and howled.

"No, help, don't catch me, Lisa, Lisa! Help me!"

Until the knight led her all the way into the depths of the forest, the "tree spirit" did not appear.

Ichab stared at the knight's back, walked over and asked Uncle Jiu: "Where is she caught? What else should we do?"

"...Probably where the knight came from. All that's left is to burn the knight's bones, and let this legend end today."

Uncle Jiu threw aside the ink fountain thread that was torn off by the knight, lowered his eyes and said.

Chapter 30 Natural Spirits

"The Headless Horseman is subdued, and the Headless Horseman is sent back to hell!"

The Masbath teenage boy ran and shouted through Sleepy Hollow, bringing the reassuring news to all the townspeople.

Several well-known gentlemen in the town, except the Reverend Stingway who unfortunately died at the hands of the knight, all participated in the ceremony of burning the knight's body.The coffin, bones, and the old locust tree were all burned to the ground. No matter whether you believe in God or practice witchcraft, you feel a burst of relief at that moment.

Due to Master Fantaso's plea, neither Sheriff Phillips nor Ichab recorded the whole story of the case in the case report. A document with a very simple description.Anyway, the real culprit has already been crowned, so stop making rumors like "someone in Sleepy Hollow practices witchcraft".

After reburying several corpses whose heads had been recovered, Bottes Fantasso also announced his retirement. He moved to New York because his daughter has become more and more open about her affection for Police Officer Corian... If his daughter marries far away, why is he still here?

On another peaceful night, in the Fantasso family's mansion, the father and daughter sat in front of the fireplace and discussed the events of the past few days.

"Katrina, your medicine is really effective... I just felt groggy and slept all day, and when I woke up, I didn't have a headache or other dangerous symptoms. I heard from Dr. Lancaster that I was almost out of breath at that time." At that time, I was really scared."

Botters said, taking the glass offered by his daughter.

"Dad, it's actually just a medicine that can make people sleep more peacefully and less likely to be disturbed. It's just because you are too tired, so you sleep too deeply after taking the medicine. You have always been so busy, you should have a good sleep Rest for a few days."

Katrina said, sitting on the horsehair sofa on the other side of the fireplace.

"Yeah... I haven't had time to pay attention to you mother and daughter, and I didn't even know that your mother was killed by someone." Bottes sighed, "Maybe I should stop being so self-righteous and force you to do what you don't want to do." To this day, what I refused to believe saved my life..."

Katrina smiled and joked, "I should have pulled out my 'Book of Witchcraft' to tell you about it now, but unfortunately I've already given it to Ichab. As for Mom... you I have always loved her very much, and I have never been sorry to her. It was Mary Archer who killed her, and it has nothing to do with you."

"Ah, that woman with a heart like a snake."

Bottes half-closed his eyes, and explained: "However, who can really tell what is flattery and what is sincere? If it is not for Iqab and the others, how do we know that the person who is strict in daily life? What kind of conspiracy is planned in the heart of a woman who has fulfilled her duties as a hostess? 20 years of careful planning makes people feel both afraid and admirable when they think about it now."

"We beat her, Dad. We're not separated, and that's what matters."

Hearing what his daughter said, Master Fantaso smiled gratifiedly, then lowered his face, pretending to be dissatisfied and said: "You can't stay by Dad's side forever. Tell me, what do you like about that kid?" Is it? He is impulsive, stubborn, and very unlikable."

"Why not put it another way?" Katrina said with a smile, "He was brave and determined."

The rainy weather that lasted for several days finally passed, the dark clouds dispersed, and a little bit of golden sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves in the woodland of Sleepy Hollow.

Uncle Jiu brought his two apprentices and came here again with Ikab, looking at the place where a dead locust tree once stood.The flesh and blood of the demon and the bones that had been sleeping for 20 years were turned into ashes, burning a large area of ​​charred black in the middle of the place.

"These days are really like a dream. I was kept running forward by the whip behind me, and I didn't really realize what happened when I stopped." Ikab said.

Whether in Uncle Nine's world or in Sleepy Hollow, too many things have happened, making his head full of strange knowledge that he hadn't thought of.

"The matter here is over, should you go back to New York to report on your work?" Uncle Jiu asked him.

Ikab nodded, then shook his head again: "...I want to report on my work, but to be honest, I don't even know how to handle the case after I go back. Let me see the beheaded victim again, and I will subconsciously think of that Hessian Knight... I plan to resign, and write a book like the "Winning Injustice" that you introduced with the experience I have summed up in the past few years."

"You are right, the changes that one person can make are limited after all...but if you can write a book, or even establish a sect, so that more people can learn, accept, and apply what you said, you will gradually be able to use it." Scientific analysis' by extension."

Uncle Jiu nodded in agreement, although the case of the Headless Horseman is not very scientific... But as Ikab said, maybe it is just that there is not enough information to explain it.

But then another thing came to his mind, and he said again, "What about your life? Would you give up a dollar a day?"

"Well." Ichab raised his eyebrows, "When we were still in New York, there was a ship that docked in New York. I gave the captain two hundred dollars, in addition to colluding with him and asking him to tell others about you Came here on his boat and bought some fruit he shipped over from Africa. I asked Max to identify it and he said it was a kola nut... I'm going to try it out with kola nuts, cocoa and sparkling water Drink recipes, try to make some money in other ways. Master Fantaso is also very interested, and plans to spend some money to invest..."

"Then I wish you a prosperous business in advance." Uncle Jiu responded.

Qiu Sheng, who was lagging behind and leading the horse, was also whispering to Wen Cai. Seeing that the two people in front had been standing there chatting, unable to move, he couldn't help asking, "What do you think they are waiting for?"

"How do I know?" Wen Cai said, "This place has been burned long ago. I don't know why I came here."

Just as he was speaking, he saw traces of white mist seeping out from under the fallen leaves.

Uncle Jiu and Ikab in front stopped chatting, but stood up straight and looked forward.

A woman with a bun and a veil stood before them and said to them:

"You...helped her. The dead have rested..."

"Thank you for your help." Ichab greeted her and continued to ask: "I still want to ask, will that knight appear again?"

"His body...has been destroyed by you. Unless...the believer of the devil calls with his life...he will not come back here again." Lisa, the tree spirit lady replied.

Iqab nodded, which was more reassuring.But he has a few other questions to ask, purely academic, of course.

"Then Lisa... what kind of existence are you? Will you always exist? What is the relationship between witches and you?"

Lisa raised her head in his direction and lifted her veil.Ikab, who thought he would see more dry bark, was taken aback suddenly, because that face was similar to that of a normal person, but there seemed to be a white mist in his eyes that would never dissipate, from his eyes down to his chin Split two long wood grains.

She said, "I am Pinewood, and I am Lisa... I have always existed, but you have given me... language, name, memory... and self. The 'witch' is the person who can connect with me. Children raised on the whispers of other 'spirits'... as they become less and less... people who do not fear 'nature' more and more...I shall forget this too, until you come to mold me with it."

Ichab knew that when she said "you", she meant more than just the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow; and the implied meaning of these words also made him suddenly lost in thought.

The language she speaks, the way she wears her hair, the clothes she wears, the face, there's something magical about being able to think of a lot of people you know at the same time when you're facing her.If you regard her as a "god", then these words are interesting...

Uncle Jiu also nodded. He also had the same question and got the answer just now.

About Lisa's way of being, he can basically understand; but about her behavior, there is one more thing to ask.

"Lisa...Girl, in the town we passed through on our way here, my apprentice caught you playing games with some local people. Why did you do this?"

Lisa turned her head to face him slightly, and said to him: "That man... John Hawkins, is a desperado... under the pine forest, many undead are cursing him, and he will die when he goes to the pine forest to cut trees the next day." Definitely. That young man behind you...he stopped me...John died the next day."

"So you want to save him? Why bother to rescue a desperado?" Uncle Jiu frowned even more, and continued to ask.

"...his daughter...was also a 'child of nature'. I therefore gave him a chance...he didn't take it."

Uncle Jiu nodded in understanding, reached out and took out the few pine cones from his bag, intending to return them to the tree spirit in front of him.

But Lisa shook her head slowly, and lowered her veil surrounded by sunlight: "...plant them."

As soon as the words fell, the fog on the ground had dissipated under the sunshine, and the tree spirit had disappeared.

Uncle Jiu turned his head, looked at Ikab standing beside him, and gave him two pine cones.

"...Which way do I go? I still live in a rented house in New York..."

"Didn't you say you want to buy and sell drinks? Just make money quickly, don't use other girls' money to buy yourself a house."

While talking, Uncle Jiu turned his head together with Ikab and walked towards the apprentices leading the horses in the forest.The mottled tree shadows cut the sunlight into pieces and sprinkled on their shoulders.

Chapter 31 Alcohol

"Hey, do you know what happened to Master?"

After returning to Renjia Town from Sleepy Hollow, Wen Cai asked Qiu Sheng the same question for the hundreds of times.

Qiu Sheng also replied as usual: "You ask me, who do I ask? Master has always loved you the most."

"Come on, you have caused more troubles than me, and the master didn't teach you, so you say you love me more? Besides, you are smarter than me...you must know."

While the two apprentices were discussing in whispers, their uncle Simu Daochang had already come out of the guest room, looking at the two boys who were not doing their jobs properly, getting angry.

"...Go to the morgue to clean up! You two boys, you know how to play around all day without doing business, and you are mad at your master!"

He scolded, and picked up a branch as if to beat the two young men, so frightened Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai jumped up and ran to the morgue.

Seeing them running away, Simu dropped the branch, turned around and sighed.

This time, he was entrusted by his senior brother to watch Yizhuang here, thinking that he would just wait for him to come back and then leave as before; whoever thought of staying here would just be stunned, and his senior brother didn't let him leave after he came back a few days ago , but if he said something meaningful: "Don't rush to leave, help me teach these two incompetent apprentices", and then went out again.

From that day on, Senior Brother, he is not like before. He always goes out at night and searches the entire Renjia Town without seeing anyone; but before midnight, he will show up again, come back to sleep well, and go out to take care of others as usual the next day Funeral.

If it were another person, Simu would definitely feel that it was drugged by some female ghost fox... But his senior brother is Lin Jiu, if all the men in the world are fascinated by ghosts and there is only one left, then what? One must be his ninth uncle...

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered, didn't those two boys in the morgue go out with their seniors?Maybe they really know something.

Simu coughed, rolled up his sleeves, walked to the other side of the yard, kicked open the door of the morgue with a bang, and shouted: "Hey, you two, get over here, uncle, I have something to ask."

After Qiusheng and Wencai came over in disgrace, he asked slowly, "Where did you go with my senior brother last time? Why hasn't he been seen all day since he came back?"

Qiusheng and Wencai looked at each other and curled their lips.The uncle is still in a daze about feelings, just now he said that the two of us were playing around and got angry with the master!But at this time, my uncle didn't dare not answer the question, so he could only reply: "...Master took us to a tavern, and then transferred to New York, USA through the tavern."

"Joke! Your uncle and I don't know what America is. You mean that the tavern is just a tavern in name, but it's actually a shipping company?"

"No, Master Uncle. The tavern was not in our world, and the United States is also the United States of another world."

Simu nodded after hearing this, which is a bit interesting. Of course, he also knows the word "world". In the Buddhist Shurangama Sutra Volume Four, it is written: "What is the world of living beings? The world is the flow, and the world is the direction. You should know now that east, west, south, North, southeast, southwest, northeast, upper and lower are boundaries; the past, future, and present are the world." This statement is generally the same as that of Taoism, and it is also recorded in "Wenzi Nature Chapter": "Lao Tzu said, in ancient times, The present is called the universe, and the four directions are called the universe."

The so-called "not in our world" means that it is neither in the past nor the present, nor in the four directions, nor in the Nether Nine Springs.

"...Is there really a paradise beyond this world?"

He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and was also a little tempted. Senior Brother Ganqing, he was suddenly absent from home, not because he was in a bad mood, but because he had met a fairy fate.

[35. No. 35]

After thinking about it, he became interested and stopped urging the two nephews to work. He just waved and said, "You two tell me about that tavern..."

There is nothing in the town today, Uncle Jiu has no business, so he went to the Ren family's original mansion as he said before, cleaning and repairing it, in short, trying to restore it to its old appearance... The Ren family moved out, and the servants had The provincial capital was kept for use, and most of them also made their own living. This huge house was left vacant.

Although he promised Miss Ren Tingting to live here, he usually manages the Yizhuang business. If he really moves here, not to mention that it is inconvenient to use the house for mortuary, and the neighbors may not be able to bear it.

Even Qiusheng and Wencai were used to living in Yizhuang, and even forgot that the house was entrusted to Uncle Jiu for the time being.

After working for a while, seeing that the sun was about to go down, Uncle Jiu simply moved out a rosewood chair and set it up to sit under the steps in the yard. He took out the unfinished cigar from the last time out of a small leather case Lit, leaned back in the chair and narrowed his eyes.

Although the Ren family had suffered catastrophe, they were still rich after all, and even this custom-made authentic rosewood chair with velvet cushions was rejected.Not to mention, this chair is very comfortable to sit on.