Chapter 1 Are there ghosts and gods in the world? There are bluestone paths, mottled corners, a gurgling stream, and white walls and black tiles along the stream. There is an old stone arch bridge across the stream, and on the bridge there is an eight-pillar wooden pavilion, the wooden pillars have faded. An old man with a cane sat in the pavilion, surrounded by seven or eight children. Telling a story. A young boy in rags, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was standing alone by the wall with a bag of rice in his hand, looking ahead silently. You can hear the old man's words and the children's exclamations. The old man is the elder of the village. He is old and has no time to spare. He often tells stories under the tree at the entrance of the village. This is to let the young people know about the world and the rise and fall of history, and also to pass on his life experience and lessons to the descendants of the village. In these days, many things in rural villages are passed down from generation to generation. But when there are more children, storytelling changes its meaning. It changed from talking about major events in the past and present to talking about gods and ghosts. This kind of story has always been popular throughout the ages.

Those who listen love to listen, and those who speak also love to speak. Lin Jue had often come to listen in the previous year. Actually, he came to this world just one year ago. Few people would be willing to come to a strange and backward place out of nowhere, but since they have come, there is no other way, so they can only try their best not to be trapped in this small village for the rest of their lives. I think every world has its own splendor, and every era has its own fun, so you should go and see it all. Going out is neither difficult nor easy. It depends on how you go. Lin Jue originally planned to study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and leave this place, at least to say hello to this world first. It just so happened that in recent years, trade has flourished here. Most of the Shu families in the village have formed groups to do business, selling local pens, inkstones, tea and wood to the capital, and gradually became wealthy. In addition, this place is greatly influenced by the Confucian clan and local culture. As there are many rich people, they hope that there will be more scholars among their clansmen and villagers, so that they can help each other after passing the imperial examinations. Therefore, they raised funds to open a clan school. Even Lin Jue, a fellow villager with a different surname, also benefited from it. So I read for a year and listened to ancient stories for a year. Life is hard, but after getting used to it, it becomes leisurely. But now I feel sad—— Last month, my uncle went out fishing and suddenly fell seriously ill when he came back. He had sores all over his body and soon became critically ill. When I was young, my family was poor. My mother was kidnapped by a peddler. My father raised me alone. Later, I followed the Shu family in the village to go out to do business. I did earn some hard-earned money. However, in the past two years, bandits and thieves have been rampant. It is said that two years ago, after a group of merchants went out, they never came back. After that, my uncle took over my father's responsibilities and provided him with food, clothing and education. He even fell into the water when he came here, and it was this uncle who risked his life to rescue him from the river. After my uncle fell ill, my cousin asked a well-known doctor in the area to see him. He prescribed some medicine and found that the medicine was effective, but it was expensive. For ordinary families, thanks to their convenient location, it is good enough to have enough food and clothing, and it is already the limit for them to be able to support a scholar. One month's medicine money has already emptied their savings. The money left by the original father has also been used up. The Shu owner of the village was kind-hearted and allowed him to go to his house to get a small bag of rice every ten days to prevent the villagers from starving to death at home. Lin Jue had just returned from the Shu family's house.

According to the miracle doctor, if you want to cure a stubborn disease slowly, you have to take this medicine for at least three months, and it will cost at least ten or twenty strings of cash. But I don’t know where to look for it. Lin Jue was really worried. When I came to my senses from my trance, I heard a voice coming from the pavilion in front of me: “…That man was not a Taoist judge with great accomplishments. He was just a brave and strong man. He had drunk a little and got drunk. He fought with the ghost for half the night. When daybreak came, he was exhausted. When he got up, guess what happened? "There are no ghosts around. There is only a piece of skin on the ground that looks like a rag bag. When the sun comes out, it emits green smoke and smells terrible." Many children were shocked and stunned when they heard it, and were fascinated by it. However, there was a hint of doubt in one child's eyes: "Second Master, are there really ghosts in the world?" Over the past year, Lin Jue has often thought about this question while listening to stories. Are there really gods and ghosts in this world? If you haven't seen it, you naturally wouldn't dare to say you have it. But if not, the rumors are so common and true. "Of course there are! How could there not be?" The village elder raised his eyebrows, "I've told you so many stories about goblins and ghosts, many of which have names, so they are all made up, right?" "Have you seen it?" "Of course I have! Didn't I tell you about it?" "But the Master said that there are no goblins or ghosts in this world, and he has never seen any goblins or ghosts in his life." "Master..." The old man held his cane, which he leaned against, and smiled, thinking carefully before saying: "There are thousands of kinds of people in this world. Some are afraid of ghosts, while others are not. The same is true for ghosts. Some are afraid of humans, while others are not. Therefore, some people avoid ghosts, while others avoid humans. Master is well-read in the books of sages, has a high level of knowledge, is upright, and despises ghosts. How could any ghost dare to appear in front of him?" Many children listened in a daze, not quite understanding what was said. The old man smiled again, stroked his beard and said: "I just talked about something in the neighboring county. If you don't believe me, the Wang family's branch temple in Hengcun has also been haunted recently. The Wang family has offered a huge reward, saying that anyone who dares to stay in the temple for one night will be given 10,000 yuan. It just so happens that you guys are also hot-tempered, do you dare to go to the ancestral temple together to sleep for one night?" "Really?" "If you don't believe me, go home and ask your parents!" Many children looked at each other in fear. “Has anyone been there?” "Yes. There were several gamblers and drunkards in our village. Except for one person who was brave enough to get the money last month, the others were so scared that they ran away in the middle of the night. Some of them were sick for a few days after returning." The old man finished speaking and added: "If you don't believe me, go ask me!" Many children immediately shut their mouths. Only Lin Jue beside him showed a strange look on his face. The reason for waiting here was that he planned to wait for the knowledgeable village elder to finish telling a ghost story, and then go over to ask him for a way to make money. No matter if it was a side job he could do, or if he could use the village elder's seniority to let him do something in the Shu clan's caravan, as long as he could make money, it would be good. I didn't expect to hear this... I have heard of drinking buddies making a bet to sleep in a cemetery after getting drunk before, and I have also heard many ghost stories told by old people in this bridge pavilion. All these stories now surged up in my mind.

Think carefully and contemplate seriously. Finally, the boy started walking, carrying the bag of rice. I walked up the creek to the bridge pavilion and came to the village elder. Naturally, I had to be more respectful to the kind octogenarian and shouted: "Grandpa Shu." "It's the Lin family's baby, what's wrong?" "What you just said, that the master of the Wang family in Hengcun offered a reward of 10,000 yuan for sleeping in the ancestral hall for one night, is it true or false?" "Hmm? Do you want to give it a try?" Although the Lin family is a different family, they are from the same village after all. How could the old man not know the situation of his family? He usually helps them out. When he heard him ask this question, he immediately guessed what he was thinking. "Are there really ghosts in the Wang family ancestral hall?" Lin Jue asked first. "How should I know? I just told these brats to go and give it a try. I was just trying to scare them. Don't just listen to me and go." "..." Lin Jue was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did anyone really get the ten thousand?" "Of course. I heard that he was a drunkard from the county. He was strong and brave. I don't know if he had ever practiced martial arts. He stayed in there all night and came out the next morning, got the money and left." "Has anyone ever died?" "I haven't heard of that." The old man said, "A person's death is a big deal. This isn't a deep forest, but where people live, there are laws. Even if there are demons, they won't dare to cause casualties." Lin Jue stood still, thought for a while and then said: "Thank you, Grandpa Shu." "Do you really want to go? Aren't you afraid?" The old man had seen through his thoughts. "..." Lin Jue was not a real young man. He had thoughts and calculations in his mind, but he did not say anything at this time. Instead, he continued to bow and salute: "Grandpa Shu, please give me some more advice." "Ugh……" The old man sighed, "I'm not a Taoist judge, a witch, or an alchemist. How can I know any method to ward off evil spirits? Even if I know, it's useless. If it's useful, why would it be your turn?" Then he paused and thought for a moment: "But I often hear people say that people become ghosts after they die, and ghosts are weaker than humans. Even if foxes and rats in the mountains become spirits, they are only slightly stronger than before at first. In fact, few of them have high levels of spiritual power. “There is also an old saying: Monsters are created by humans. "You have never done anything bad, and you have a clear conscience. You are young, healthy, and strong, so ordinary demons and ghosts will not bother you. If you really encounter one, you must not be afraid when facing them. Fear will cause your heart to be confused, and a confused heart will cause your spirit to be scattered, and a scattered spirit will allow the demons to take advantage of you. Not being afraid will cause your heart to be calm, and a calm heart will cause your spirit to be complete, and a complete spirit will prevent demons and ghosts from invading you. “So when something strange happens in a family, they always ask someone with courage and bravery to take charge. Courage comes first, and bravery comes second! “Not to mention demons and ghosts, it’s the same when confronting humans. "You must never lose your courage..." Lin Jue listened carefully with a relatively calm expression.

Most of the strange stories I've heard from the village elders over the past year have been like this. Demons and ghosts are not necessarily stronger than humans. Humans are not necessarily weaker than demons and ghosts. There are demons that bully people, and there are people who bully demons. There are often people who are on good terms with both sides. There are often accidental encounters and brief relationships. Weird, romantic and eerie. fascinating. If ghosts and monsters really exist in this world, they should be somewhat consistent with popular legends. It was still early morning, and the village at the foot of the mountain was very quiet. The houses were shrouded in a light white mist. For a moment, the only sounds could be heard: the chirping of birds in the trees and the sound of flowing water. The young man had already thanked the old man, picked up the rice bag, and went home. Think while walking. However, I don’t know whether the strange things happening in the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Heng Village are really caused by ghosts or by people with ulterior motives. I don’t know what the world is like. Give me 10,000... Let’s go and see it today. (End of this chapter)