Chapter 6 Paper Man City 03
The servants were originally following from a distance behind, but when they saw the leading wizard suddenly running away, they hurriedly followed him.
One of them happened to greet the paper man face to face, and immediately fell to the ground, his voice trembling: "It can talk... This paper man can talk?!"
Only Young Master Xia stood out among the group of frightened NPCs.
He looked indifferent and disdainful, as if he was very disgusted with his subordinates who were crawling on the ground in fear, but he was also very concerned about this "paper man" of unknown origin, so he walked closer to take a look.
Seeing him approaching, the paper man took a few steps back.
Leng Jing was afraid that he might get into an accident, "Master! Don't get too close, wait until I clean up before you watch--"
Young Master Xia turned a deaf ear to him. Suddenly he raised his hand and tapped the "paper man's" head twice, as if to see if it had any other reaction.
Jiang Yuelu: “…”
The paper face was dazed by these slaps, and the big paper head turned around and looked at Young Master Xia in disbelief.
If the evil spirit goes crazy, mortals can't stand it, so what if it's the young master? The emperor will kill you with one stroke.
But the "paper man" had no temper at all. After being hit a few times, he just accepted his fate and did not behave in any evil way. Young Master Xia snorted and walked back in disappointment.
A "paper man" that is so fragile that it can be easily crushed by anyone.
It's no different from the giant dolls in theme parks, it just looks a little different.
Even compared to that ferocious young master, the paper man looked even more miserable and aggrieved.
Chen Chuan couldn't help but say: "Why does he look a little pitiful..."
Now even Zhao Xiaoxuan was not afraid anymore. She and Chen Chuan hid behind Jiang Yuelu and shouted stutteringly, "You, you, are you a human or a ghost?"
The paper man replied hoarsely: "What's the difference?"
Leng Jing said: "Of course there is a difference. People should protect ghosts and ghosts should be killed. This is the tradition of my sect. We will not let any evil demon go. Junior brother, don't you agree?"
Jiang Yuelu cooperated very well and acted like taking something out. The paper man believed it and raised his hand to block it.
He had been standing still, but suddenly he raised his hand. From his continuous movements, everyone could see clearly that he was actually a living person wrapped in a layer of paper.
However, that layer of paper did not look like ordinary paper. Instead, it did not feel sticky. Instead, it looked like it was wearing soft and silky silk, which could fit the movements skillfully and lightly.
Even the paper mask covering the face was lifelike as the mouth, nose and eyes opened and closed, making the person look very excited.
This outfit of paper figurines seemed to be tailor-made for him.
The servant who had been frightened to the ground earlier got up in shame and anger: "If you are a human being, don't wear this kind of weird stuff to scare people!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pounced towards the paper man.
This caught everyone off guard, but the "paper man" seemed to have eyes on its back, and the papers all over its body rustled, and it dodged the attack in an instant.
The servant missed and couldn't believe that he failed to tear him apart at such a close distance.
That's such brittle paper!
He roared, turned around and rushed forward again, but was dodged again.
The "paper man" had no intention of getting entangled, and turned to greet Master Xia, Jiang Yuelu and the others, saying: "Everyone has uncovered the notice of Lord Zhu. You are the expert who came to help my town out of trouble. I, Liu Shitou, should satisfy any request. But there is only one exception."
"You must not take off this paper figure's clothes, otherwise..."
"otherwise?"
The voice sounded in the distance. Jiang Yuelu turned to look at Young Master Xia. He had already turned his head and seemed to be more interested.
Liu Shitou lowered his head: "Otherwise you will die."
Hearing this tragic answer, Master Xia was very happy, "That's right. Take me to find your master, someone is here to help him."
Liu Shitou asked, "May I ask what is this gentleman's name?"
The servant spat, "My son is the legitimate son of Princess Changning and Marquis Wu'an. How can I tell a country bumpkin like you about such a noble name?"
Jiang Yuelu just watched Master Xia and his servant showing off quietly.
I've always been the boss, but this is the first time I've experienced the feeling of having someone in front of me. I have to say, this feeling of being bullied is pretty good. After a while, the other side finally finished their quarrel (one-sided).
"Master Zhu is in the city right now." After being scolded, Liu Shitou became even more depressed. He weakly picked up a paper lantern from not far away and said, "Everyone, follow me."
Jiang Yuelu glanced at the lantern. It was a simple white paper lantern, which was probably the source of the light Zhao Xiaoxuan saw.
It seemed to be made of the same kind of paper as the paper man skin that Liu Shitou was wearing. As Jiang Yuelu was looking at it, she suddenly saw the red maple leaves painted on the paper swaying faintly, as if they were alive and jumping.
He thought his eyes were too tired, so he turned his head away for a few seconds, then turned back and continued looking.
The maple leaf didn't move.
-
On the way there, Liu Shitou explained to them the current situation of the town.
He spoke hesitantly and in a low voice, and Jiang Yuelu listened for a long time before he deduced the whole story.
Ten years ago, the town was still prosperous and bustling, but due to an accident, the population of the town was far less than before, and the remaining people moved to the vicinity of the ancestral hall, which is why Jiang Yuelu saw the deserted streets and houses after entering the city.
Chen Chuan: "What happened?"
The paper man remained silent.
This incident was recorded in the test paper. Ten years ago, bandits attacked towns along the waterway, causing a temporary catastrophe. Iron Town was the last stronghold of the massacre, and many people died at that time.
After listening to Jiang Yuelu's story, the paper figurine and Young Master Xia looked over at the same time, their eyes difficult to distinguish.
Jiang Yuelu thought: I didn't want to explain all this in public anyway, but who told you that no one said anything?
Not long after, a wooden sign standing on the ground finally appeared in front of us, with the words "Yindou Town" written on it.
Compared with the huge plaque on the outer city wall, this wooden sign symbolizing the meaning of the city gate is shabby and pitiful, and most importantly, it is very unlucky, as if it leads to a cemetery rather than a living town.
Leng Jing frowned after taking a look, but Liu Shitou had already stepped in and said, "We're here."
Only then did they see the full picture of Flatiron Town today.
The houses seemed to be temporary structures, not as large as the buildings outside. They were scattered on the streets on both sides, forming a simple town. The most common shops on the street were paper-making shops.
There were two paper figures standing on the street that looked almost as good as living people and were laughing. However, there was no one inside them, so they were not as full and lively as Liu Shitou's paper figure. Instead, they were lifeless and dragged on the ground, swaying in the wind.
A strange thought suddenly came to his mind.
A dead paper figure is like one that has had all the spiritual energy of a living person sucked away.
"Everyone."
Liu Shitou was already not far ahead and stopped in front of a door.
This door looked like the most luxurious one nearby. He gestured, "Master Zhu is inside."
-
After one stick of incense, we returned to Lord Zhu's home.
In the middle of the simple main hall was a black incense table with a shrine in the middle. The shrine looked quite old, but it was well preserved and seemed to be dedicated to a very respected god.
Lord Zhu walked slowly to the shrine with his cane, lit a stick of incense, and then turned around.
"Your Highness has come from afar. I am sorry that I failed to welcome you in person. I hope..."
Young Master Xia didn't want to listen before he finished. He scanned his wizard team, bypassed Leng Jing, and this time set his sights on Jiang Yuelu: "You come."
I went to the side to admire the shrine.
Jiang Yuelu saluted to Lord Zhu, "Lord Zhu, I am——"
"No, no." Lord Zhu laughed. "Liu Shitou has already told me your name. He was the one who did the wrong thing today. Are you not frightened?"
Chen Chuan muttered: "I was almost scared to death..."
Xiaoxuan also grew bolder: "Don't wear that kind of clothes at night... It scares us, and it scares you too."
She thought that only Liu Shitou wore the paper man costume for some reason, because when he came in, he saw that Lord Zhu was dressed normally.
Lord Zhu shook his head, "No. The people in the town are already used to it. We have been wearing paper doll costumes for ten years."
Xiaoxuan was shocked: "Ten years?!"
Seeing that the wizards' eyes were all on him, Lord Zhu understood and said, "I don't need it."
Xiaoxuan still didn't understand: "Why do I have to wear a paper doll costume? And I've been wearing it for ten years..."
She can't even wear only one piece of clothing for a month!
Lord Zhu smiled but said nothing. From his expression, one could tell that it was useless to ask him further about things he didn't want to talk about.
Jiang Yuelu looked at the shrine and changed the subject, "I saw similar shrines on the way here. It seems that every household is worshipping them. Is this the local god?"
Lord Zhu said: "This person is not a god, but a wizard named Qin Xue."
Leng Jing said: "So he is our predecessor. Did this Qin predecessor pass away here?"
The worship of gods varies from place to place. Some are local people with both virtue and talent who have ascended to heaven, and some have made great contributions to the local area. Only such people will have temples built for them and receive incense and worship for years.
But Lord Zhu shook his head and said, "Wizard Qin is still alive."
"Still alive?"
Everyone was surprised, because no matter who they were, they could only be worshipped after they died.
Lord Zhu began to sigh, and suddenly changed his previous taciturn nature and began to speak crazily.
"Wizard Qin is a master beyond the secular world. He accepted our unreasonable request at that time... It was nothing more than a kind heart. Only such a kind and outstanding person can save us from the water and fire."
"Without Wizard Qin, all our townspeople would have died, and there would be no Flatiron Town today. Wizard Qin has done all this for us, so how can we not be grateful? Unfortunately, times are different now, and we can't afford gold or silver treasures. All we can do is offer a small shrine to him and pray for his blessings as he travels."
What he said was also recorded in detail in the test paper, but the character Qin Xue was omitted. It only mentioned that after the ten-year catastrophe, half of the townspeople survived.
It seems that this wizard Qin Xue is an important test point.
Jiang Yuelu said tactfully: "We came here mainly because of the notice. Lord Zhu is looking for a wizard to exorcise the evil spirits?"
Lord Zhu shook his head. "We have our own way to exorcise ghosts, but the ritual requires a wizard to be in charge."
Jiang Yuelu frowned slightly after hearing this.
Exorcism is a small matter, but ritual is a big matter, which seems very contradictory.
He didn't show it at all, and nodded in response: "What kind of ceremony is it? Lord Zhu, don't worry, our young master will definitely help you with all his strength."
After all, they were subordinates, so they still had to flatter their superiors. But the superior turned a deaf ear to them and only focused on looking at the shrine. Jiang Yuelu even saw him roll his eyes out of the corner of his eye.
What a poor gentleman from a noble family.
Leng Jing whispered, "Zhongyuan Night, isn't that tomorrow?"
Lord Zhu said hurriedly: "The ceremony will be held at night, and the process is not complicated. You don't need to make any extra preparations. You can just be there to help us."
Leng Jing and Jiang Yuelu looked at each other and both felt that something was wrong, but they didn't say anything else.
"One more thing..."
Lord Zhu seemed a little embarrassed to mention this, and glanced at the prince nervously: "For the next few days, please stay at my house... My humble house is simple and crude, and has never hosted distinguished guests. I hope the prince will not despise it."
"I don't mind disliking you. I've seen a lot of the world. But." Young Master Xia turned around and changed the subject, "I like to have someone to serve me. This candidate..."
Leng Jing said earnestly: "This candidate..."
The red-clothed ancestor obviously had ill intentions and made the final decision: "Then it's you, Jiang Yuelu. I see that you performed very well today. This prince is really proud and happy."
…Jiang Yuelu cursed inwardly.
Who believes it?
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