Chapter 7 Pork Seven days later. Zhang Jiuyang sat cross-legged on the bluestone, basking in the morning sun, finishing his practice of Zhongli Ba Duan Jin for the day. He opened his eyes, and his pupils were clearly black and white, becoming clearer and brighter. The heat in his body was slowly growing stronger, and his body was becoming stronger. After each practice, he could feel the changes in his body. Although small, they were long-lasting. During this period, he could hear Aunt Wang's prayers every night. After swallowing wisps of incense, the image of Zhong Kui in his mind became more and more spiritual, and the colors gradually spread. Unfortunately, due to the lack of incense, the portrait does not show more magical powers. But Zhang Jiuyang had a hunch that once he absorbed enough incense, he would uncover the true secret of the portrait. During this period, he tried to burn incense to Zhong Kui himself, but it was of no use. Paying others to burn incense also did not work. It seemed that only the incense of sincere people could be truly accepted by the gods. In other words, if he wants to uncover the secret of the portrait as quickly as possible, he needs to help Tianshi Zhong Kui to publicize and develop faith. Well, I still want to be a charlatan. So today Zhang Jiuyang decided to reopen his business and set up a fortune-telling stall.

He deliberately chose a place far away from Baishi Bridge, and just as he had set up his weapons, someone came to his door. "Xiaojiu, can you help me calculate my fortune?" A white-haired old man stepped forward and asked. Zhang Jiuyang looked at his shaking hands and the wrinkles on his face, and couldn't help but comfort him, "Master, judging from your palm, your fortune is still to come." The old man gave a few copper coins and left happily. Not long after, more people came to tell fortunes, and some even lined up. This was a stark contrast to the previous lack of interest. "Xiaojiu, Aunt Wang told us that you are really capable and cured her husband's evil spirit!" "Can you calculate for me whether I can get married this year?" "And me, I want to buy something to ward off evil spirits. I've been feeling a bit spooky lately..." Zhang Jiuyang then understood that it was Aunt Wang who had helped him with publicity in the past few days. She was a meat seller in the county and was a generous and righteous person with great prestige. In addition, exorcism of evil spirits was very exciting, so the news had already spread quietly in the county. Everyone knows now that Blind Lin has accepted a talented disciple who is even better than his teacher. At the end of the day, Zhang Jiuyang was exhausted and thirsty, but he had gained a lot. The money he earned was secondary. He would give a portrait of Zhong Kui to every person who came to tell fortunes, but he didn't know whether they would burn incense as requested. Well, maybe we should also promote it in conjunction with the story of Zhong Kui. If stories like Zhong Kui catching ghosts and Zhong Kui marrying his sister could spread among the people, he wouldn't need to publicize them. People would spontaneously burn incense and worship, praying for protection. But this matter needs careful planning and there is no need to rush. Zhang Jiuyang put away his weapons and prepared to go home. These days, he has become more and more integrated into this small county with simple folk customs. The female ghost and the like have gone away, and he just wants to live his own life well. "Xiaojiu, don't leave yet." A familiar voice sounded, and Zhang Jiuyang turned around and saw that it was Aunt Wang. She was standing under the shade of a tree, holding a large piece of fatty pork in her hand. "Xiaojiu, Auntie said before that she would send you good meat."

After a pause, she smiled on her chubby face and emphasized, "This is the best pork. Auntie killed it especially for you. Take it quickly." The meat had clear texture and was shiny, as if it had been killed not long ago. "Aunt, no need, the money you gave is enough——" "You must accept it." Aunt Wang suddenly stopped smiling, and looked at him quietly with her dark eyes, speaking word by word. Zhang Jiuyang frowned slightly. He didn't like this commanding tone, but thinking that the other party had good intentions, he said nothing and walked over to take the meat. Aunt Wang smiled again and said, "It's hot, the meat will spoil easily, remember to eat it when you get home." After saying that, she turned and left, walking with a limp. "Aunt, what happened to your leg?" Aunt Wang paused, looked sideways, and smiled, "It's nothing. I just got hit by a pig when I was slaughtering it." Looking at the figure gradually going away, Zhang Jiuyang frowned slightly and looked at the pork in his hand. The light yellow fat exuded a disgusting fishy smell. …… Night falls. However, Zhang Jiuyang did not go home, but went to the east end of the county, which was relatively remote and had fewer residents. Aunt Wang's home was there. From afar, there were two red lanterns hanging at the door, and the faint light was flickering in the night. Zhang Jiuyang knocked on the door, but no one responded. He pushed it gently, and the door slowly opened. It was not locked. A smell of blood came over me. This is not surprising. Aunt Wang is a pig slaughterer for a living and she raises many pigs at home. It is not surprising that there is a smell of blood. But what is strange is that although Aunt Wang raises so many pigs, there is not even a pig squeal around. It is very quiet. A big wolf dog was lying there limply. Its name was Da Zhuang. Aunt Wang often fed it pork and pork bones, making it fat and strong, and very ferocious. But now it didn't even call out until Zhang Jiuyang walked up to it. When he touched it with his hand, Zhang Jiuyang's eyes narrowed, because there was a big hole in the dog's belly, and the internal organs were gone. In the dog's mouth was a piece of flesh and blood mixed with pieces of clothing. Zhang Jiuyang took a deep breath and continued to move forward. When we passed by the pigpen, we found it was even bloodier, with internal organs flying everywhere and blood dripping. Even the piglets that had just been born were killed. despair! despair! despair! Inside the main room, the sound of a kitchen knife chopping meat suddenly rang out, slowly and steadily. Through the dim candlelight, a fat figure was reflected on the window paper. Zhang Jiuyang silently clenched the willow branch in his hand, slowed down his pace, and walked forward slowly. There was a small hole in the window paper. He leaned forward and looked inside carefully. The first thing that caught his eye was Aunt Wang who was chopping meat. Her face was splattered with blood, the cutting board was covered with minced meat, and next to it was a...human hand. Zhang Jiuyang suddenly felt a little nauseous, but even more disgusting things were yet to come.

I saw Aunt Wang lifting up her pants, revealing her calf with a piece of flesh missing, and then she cut off a piece with a kitchen knife. The whole process seemed extremely calm, as if the bleeding calf was not her own. There is no doubt that Aunt Wang was possessed by the female ghost, and her husband was probably already... Didn’t the picture of Zhong Kui scare away the evil spirit? Zhang Jiuyang soon saw the answer. He saw that the portrait of Zhong Kui pasted on the wall of the main hall was now only half left, and it was soaked with dark red blood stains. According to folklore, the blood of a woman during her menstrual period, which is a very yin thing, can cause Taoist magic tools or some consecrated statues to malfunction. Therefore, some extreme Taoists would even buy women's menstrual cloth to make magic weapons. Zhang Jiuyang understood instantly that the female ghost took advantage of Aunt Wang's absence to possess him, and then used Aunt Wang's Tiankui blood to defile the portrait, and finally succeeded completely. As for the meat that Aunt Wang sent today, there is no doubt that... it belongs to her husband. "You can't save him unless you tell me where Lu Yaoxing is?" Zhang Jiuyang thought of the threats the female ghost had made to him that night, and a surge of anger surged in his heart. The reason why the female ghost wanted to send meat to herself was nothing more than a mockery and showing off. The person you wanted to protect was killed by me in the end, and I even wanted to trick you into eating his meat. Maybe I'll go ask if it tastes good tomorrow... Zhang Jiuyang clenched the willow branch tightly, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. Damn it, I’m going to eat you! goo~ It just so happens that I’m hungry again. …… (End of this chapter)