038. The Tomb of the Murderer

The night is clear and dust-free, the moonlight is as silver, and the shadows of the mountains are numerous.

The carriage moved slowly along the path at the foot of the mountain. There was no one outside the carriage, but the reins seemed to be floating strangely, as if an invisible person was pulling them.

Qingling leaned back in the carriage and took a nap. It had been more than ten days since they set out and they were just approaching the border of Mingzhou. After leaving Yuncheng, they came to this deserted mountain forest. According to Zhu Lezhi, from now on, they would go northwest along the mountain road. The not-so-steep hills along the way were all considered the Huangshanling Mountain Range, a small vein of the earth, also known as a dragon vein.

There were three people sitting in the carriage. Miao Yuan sat upright with his eyes closed, silently reciting scriptures. Zhu Lezhi also closed his eyes and practiced with his fingers pressed together. Only Qing Ling had read for a long time during the day and was too tired to open his eyes, but he was still thinking about Shang Changheng.

Shang Changheng was the eldest son of Emperor Cheng of Zhou and learned from Grand Marshal Wei Shanfu. Wei Shanfu died in the Battle of Xidi in the 18th year of Ruixing. Shang Changheng, who was only 16 years old, put on armor and went into battle. In the following nine years, Shang Changheng was named King Xiang and led his three armies to frequently fight against the 28 tribes of the Yi people. This is the only record that Qingling can find that shows that Shang Changheng once existed.

Chongxiao, Shang Chongxiao.

He fought for many years, and his senior brothers and sisters died before him one after another, but there was no record of how Shang Changheng and his soldiers who were wiped out died later.

"Guangyouzhi" also specifically mentions a person, who was the Taizhu of the Great Zhou Dynasty at that time. His name was Jie. He was a veteran minister of three dynasties. When Emperor Cheng was not yet the emperor, he was already the Taizhu of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This person once predicted the national destiny for the Great Zhou Dynasty and said that the Great Zhou Dynasty would be immortal and last forever. The writer treated the book as a joke and added sarcasm: It is ridiculous to claim to have supernatural powers and manipulate destiny.

It can be seen that the author has great contempt for Taizhu Jie, but has great respect for the warriors who fight outside. The book also mentions several times that all things about ghosts and gods are nonsense.

However, Shang Changheng, the character he admired so much in his writings, has turned into a fierce ghost and returned to the human world. Qing Ling felt a little regretful. If he knew the cause of Shang Changheng's death, it would be great. Looking at his resentment, maybe the unfinished cause and effect was revenge.

As I thought about it, my consciousness became more and more blurred.

At some unknown time and place, Qingling seemed to hear a distant and sad singing voice.

"What night is this——"

"Pushing the boat in the middle of the stream——"

"What evening is today——"

"To be in the same boat with the prince——"

The soft female voice was like crying and complaining, and every word was read with sorrow and sadness.

It was as if a veil was brushed aside in front of his eyes, and Qingling vaguely saw a luxuriously decorated bedroom with a graceful woman standing by the window. She seemed to be aware of something and slowly turned around, revealing her pretty face. The hairpins on her temples swayed slightly, and the flower ornament on her brow was bright red.

"My dear." Her voice was like broken jade, full of affection. She continued, "You can see me."

Qing Ling was originally a little dazed, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she came to her senses. She always felt that the smile of this young and beautiful woman was a little strange. She looked gentle and soft, and her clothes were either rich or noble, but that smile seemed to be painted on, and it was so stiff that it didn't change even when she spoke.

"Really..." Qing Ling muttered softly, feeling somewhat helpless. What was the point of this?

"You can see me." The woman said softly, "I am the daughter of the King of Dongli. My dear, please stay. The night is long and silent—"

Qingling turned around and left, no matter where he was, running away was the best option.

The woman's voice suddenly became sharp: "Stay—"

"Stay—"

“Stay!!”

Qing Ling was a little confused about the situation, but he couldn't really stay there, so he pushed open the door and ran. There were quite a few servants outside, but they were just standing there stiffly like decorations. No one chased Qing Ling when he ran away. He shuttled back and forth in the corridors and palaces with carved railings and painted buildings, but found that this seemingly luxurious place was actually too narrow. There were only a few places like this, and he couldn't even find the door to exit.

This is another hit.

Qing Ling roughly understood the situation, and heard a clanging sound coming from behind, which seemed to be the sound of the hairpins and rings of the woman who claimed to be the Princess of Dongli colliding. But he did not run away, but stood where he was and whispered silently: "I wear the Star Gang and it comes out of the Xun Gate. Black wind and dark clouds cover the world. Lightning and fire are everywhere, and it is dark and bright again. The Nine Palaces are clear and bright. The thunder returns to my body. All gods come together, and my heart is also clear."

Although he did not practice it anymore, Zhu Qingling remembered it clearly. This spell could prevent evil spirits from invading the palace. It was not very aggressive but was good for self-protection and was just right for this moment.

When the last word fell, Qingling felt that the soft but cold voice in his ears became blurred, and everything around him seemed to be gradually disappearing.

When he opened his eyes again, he was still in the carriage.

Qingling sat up straight abruptly and took two breaths.

His movement startled Miao Yuan and Zhu Lezhi. They were both stunned and asked in unison: "What's wrong?"

Qing Ling told what he had just seen. Miao Yuan and Zhu Lezhi looked at each other and saw disbelief and confusion on each other's faces.

"This shouldn't be the case." Zhu Lezhi subconsciously touched the wooden hairpin on his head. "I didn't feel anything. You were sleeping right in front of me just now, and even your breathing wasn't disordered. But it's as if you were possessed. This is weird."

Miao Yuan also agreed: "Yes, there was nothing unusual just now."

He then asked the evil spirit outside the carriage: "Donor Shang, do you feel anything?"

After a while, Shang Changheng's voice sounded outside: "No, but Qingling's fate is special, and the dream will not be simple. Maybe it is some kind of sign."

"Dongli." Qingling suddenly said, "Dongli was a small country more than 400 years ago. It seemed to be nearby, but it was destroyed by the previous dynasty. If it is really the ghost of the Dongli princess, then even if it is a princess before the country was destroyed, wouldn't it mean that she has been a ghost for more than 400 years?"

Zhu Lezhi's expression was indescribable. He looked at Qingling and said, "This kind of evil spirit is hard to come by in hundreds of years. At most, it has been around for decades. It died before we could catch it. The corpse-born child of a person who belongs to the Yin in the Eight Characters and Ten Gods is really... There are so many evil spirits around you, and none of them are ordinary ghosts."

"You know me." Qing Ling said softly, "You even know my birthday."

Zhu Lezhi raised his eyebrows slightly, "Of course I know. I've even been to your house to see how resentful this wealthy family is. Your Qing family's mansion is like a haunted house. Although your father politely asked me to leave, I didn't intend to help."

Qing Ling thought back and it seemed that this really happened after he returned home, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

“If there is evil creature causing trouble here, we can’t just sit there and do nothing.” Miao Yuan frowned, clutching the rosary.

"I'll go outside and drive the carriage first." Zhu Lezhi said as he opened the carriage door. "Let Senior Shang accompany Young Master Qing for a while, so that that thing won't set its sights on him again."

After walking out, Zhu Lezhi turned back and said, "I think it's better not to make things complicated. Aren't we here to find Senior Shang's tomb? Maybe the Princess of Dongli is a great merit, but it's not certain that we can eat it. Besides, there haven't been any reports of evil spirits hurting people nearby. It's better to have less trouble than more. Don't let the merits not be earned, but the karma will be lost."

Qingling didn't see Shang Changheng come in, but he felt the dragon pendant on his chest feel slightly cool, and he knew that Shang Changheng had returned.

Then, Shang Changheng spoke up: "It has not dissipated for more than four hundred years. There must be a reason. At least there is a grave. She will not stray too far from her own grave to find that grave."

Qingling was not surprised at all.

Either he was not dreaming, or something was wrong. The Princess of Dongli must have set her eyes on him, and Shang Changheng——

This evil spirit was extremely paranoid. No matter whether it was because his private property was coveted or because the Princess Dongli was a rare tonic, he would not let the other party go.

Zhu Lezhi, who had just said "Don't make trouble", said nothing more and immediately responded, "Okay, senior, wait and see!"

Qingling was speechless.

Although it is said that a man who knows the current affairs is a hero, this is a bit too hero.

.

With Shang Changheng around, Qingling dozed off for a while. It was never very comfortable to sleep in a carriage, but later he seemed to fall into a very familiar embrace and slept even more soundly.

This time, nothing unexpected happened. When I woke up again, Xiwei was floating.

When Qing Ling opened his eyes, he saw the dark blue collar of his clothes. He was leaning on Shang Changheng's chest, with someone hugging his waist.

"Why isn't the carriage moving?" Qing Ling sat up straight and asked casually.

"Because we found the place." Shang Changheng took his hand back and said, "Let's go down and take a look."

Qingling was the last one to get off the carriage and looked towards a place called Huangshan Ridge. The main peak of Huangshan Ridge was naturally Huangshan, and it was also their destination. However, the messy small peaks in front of them were obviously not that place.

"The shape of the mountains is like a math, and they are randomly thrown horizontally and vertically." Zhu Lezhi clicked his tongue twice and shook his head repeatedly, "The water veins are also broken, and the gathered energy is not dispersed, and the gathered energy is still evil. If there is a tomb underground, it is estimated that something extraordinary can be raised. However... Why do I feel that this place is a bit interesting? Monk, take a look, if there is really an extremely evil ghost here, why is there no movement? It can't be that there is another thing that can build the sky and the earth. Princess Dongli can't be a monster?"

Miao Yuan didn't know much about Feng Shui, but when you saw him fighting with evil spirits, you could tell that physical training relied entirely on fists and feet.

He shook his head: "I don't know, maybe someone in the past left something here to suppress it."

This is very common in the Yin business. If you can't defeat the evil spirit, you can leave something to suppress it, or set up a formation. Although it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution, it is just a temporary solution. However, it can be considered a merit, which is better than fighting with the evil spirit.

Qingling thought of the palace courtyard with no doors last night, the servants buried in the courtyard like puppets, and the princess who seemed to be able to only walk in the corridors and had never entered the courtyard. He felt that what Miaoyuan said made sense.

He looked at Shang Changheng, asking "Do you want to continue?"

Then Shang Changheng said coldly: "Find the grave and dig it up."

Qingling thought, it seems that His Royal Highness Prince Xiang must have this meal today.