Chapter 79 Kaifeng Weird Things

The moon was shining on the branches, the shadows of the trees were dancing, and the sound of wheels rolling came from the deserted road hidden in the dense forest.

Crunch, crunch, that's the weeds being ruthlessly crushed by the wheels, and the unknown little flowers being trampled under human feet, the thin juice seeping into the soil, attracting some tiny insects.

This is a convoy, with six carts and more than twenty shirtless men. Only a few of them stood on both sides holding torches, while the rest were pushing the carts forward. There were no horses or mules, and everything depended on human power.

I don't know what was loaded on the cart, it was tall and wide, and looked like a cage. Several men were pushing the cart together. They looked strong, but they still had a hard time pushing it. Veins popped out on their foreheads, and they couldn't push it far before they were panting like cows.

The man at the front looking at the road looked left and right, with an anxious expression and a hint of fear.

He licked his cracked lips and urged in a low voice: "Hurry up, the moon will be above our heads soon..."

The moon is at its zenith and midnight is approaching, which is the time of the day when the yin energy is the heaviest.

The road under the convoy had been abandoned for many years. There used to be a village in this forest with quite a few households, but unfortunately... all of them were killed by the bandits. It was said that their deaths were horrific, and even the officers and soldiers who collected their bodies were horrified.

Gradually, stories of ghost stories spread here. Many people said they had seen ghosts with their own eyes, and several people died here.

Over time, no one dared to take this road.

Even businessmen are reluctant to pass through here. They would rather take a longer route than take matters of ghosts and gods lightly.

Furthermore, there is a new official road less than two miles away from this one, so there is no need to take risks.

No wonder everyone avoids this place, there have been too many ghost stories in recent years, and it's not just one person who encounters them, but many people.

One person says it is a rumor, a group of people say it is a spread rumor, then what if many people say it together?

That's true!

There really is a ghost!

It's really haunted!

Saints say not to talk about ghosts and gods, so how dare ordinary people like us talk nonsense? The government didn't scold them for talking nonsense, so it must be true.

People are all afraid of ghosts and gods. For a time, temples and Taoist temples were extremely popular, and a talisman was worth a fortune. Anyone who went on a long journey would have to go to the gods and Buddhas to pray and worship, even if they had not done anything wrong.

But this convoy did the opposite and drove on this haunted deserted road late at night, because they were even more afraid to take the official road than this haunted deserted road.

Because they are doing evil things that are shameful and evil.

The leader urged them on, and the men pushing the carts were nervous, for the cart was not originally so heavy; it only gradually became heavier after they set out on this road.

Maybe it's just an illusion.

Everyone comforted themselves in their hearts and looked at each other to encourage each other.

They must have been too tired from pushing the bike up the hill, so they slowly felt the bike getting heavier.

Besides, even if there are ghosts, if a group of masculine men with strong masculinity gather together, the ghosts will go around them!

After thinking about it for a while, the fear in my heart finally faded a little, and the strength in my hands seemed to return. They worked together, and the speed of the convoy finally increased.

Creak.

They came out of the woods.

The leader looked up at the moon, luckily... they left there before midnight.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked around, and said, "Brothers, there is a flat slope ahead. Let's rest there for a while before we go on."

In order to hurry, they only had a quick meal today. When they stopped for a while, their stomachs immediately started to rumble and their hands and feet felt weak.

They couldn't stop to sleep tonight, they had to keep on going, but they could stop to eat something. The cargo in the car also had to be kept hanging with some water cakes, lest the cargo died when they arrived, and they would lose all their money.

The men worked hard and quickly pushed the six carts onto the flat slope pointed by the leader.

As soon as they stopped, they began to breathe heavily, and some sat down, some leaned against the ground. Each of them was sweating profusely, and their hands, as big as palm-leaf fans, were shaking as they wiped the sweat off.

After resting for a while, they took out dry food and water from the bags hanging on the handles of the carts, sat together in groups of three or four, and began to eat and drink with big mouthfuls.

They were not allowed to bring alcohol, as drinking could lead to trouble, and they were not allowed to drink alcohol because they were in a profession that required caution. If they really wanted to drink, they had to wait until they got back, and then they could drink as much as they wanted, and only the best wine.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they patted their trousers and stood up. At the signal from the leader, several men took out six cakes and six water bags from their bags, opened the black cloth on the cart one by one, and threw the cakes and water in.

Then, through the gaps in the black cloth, faint moonlight filtered through, and several hands reached out from the cart. They groped and dragged into the cart the biscuits and water that the man had casually thrown in.

To be precise, it's a cage.

These six large carts were loaded with cages, and inside the cages were people.

Those hands included women's hands and children's hands.

This is what they call cargo.

They are thieves and kidnappers, and are wanted by the government for execution.

A few months ago, Judge Bao of Kaifeng Prefecture cracked a major case of kidnapping and trafficking of innocent girls. The emperor was furious and ordered officials from all sides to investigate such cases strictly and punish the perpetrators severely once they were caught.

This makes the thieves' business more difficult and more dangerous, but money is the key to success. The profits from this business are so high that they are willing to do it even if it means shovels.

The official road was completely impassable, so they could only take small paths and deserted roads.

For example, this deserted road haunted by ghosts.

The ghost stories were probably true. There was indeed no sign of anyone having walked on this road. Even the government officials did not come here. The surroundings were eerily quiet.

"Eat quickly!"

The man, with a nervous heart, slapped the wooden cage heavily with an evil voice, which frightened the woman and child in the cage so much that they trembled.

They had no way to resist.

These thieves only gave them one cake and a bag of water every day. Several women and children were locked in one cage. They shared the food and water, but they were just hanging on for their lives. How could they have the strength to escape?

They didn't even dare to make a sound. Those who tried to attract people to save them by shouting and crying had already been beaten to death. They looked at the dead bodies lying in a pool of blood, and the light in their eyes was completely gone.

The only thing that can be considered fortunate is that the women did not suffer any other insults, perhaps in order to get a better price.

Some of them were holding children with fear in their eyes. The cold moonlight seeped into their faces and eyes through the pitifully small gaps, but it could not illuminate any light.

No one could save them.

No one will come to rescue them.

Numbly they broke the cakes, a little for each, more for the children.

Everyone chewed mechanically, and the water they were given choked them. No matter whether they were women or children, no one dared to make a sound. They could only cover their mouths, roll their eyes, and swallow it down like a little death.

If you make any sound, you will die.

They still want to live.

The thieves didn't give them much time, and soon they set off again.

This time it was downhill, and even more bumpy. The women and children were squeezed together, their bodies were bruised and purple, and their hair was already messed up. They could only grab the cage that imprisoned them, trying their best to keep their bodies steady in this bumpy ride and suffer less.

call--

A gust of cold wind blew in from the side, and the black cloth covering the cage was blown wildly. The moon that slowly climbed to the highest point was hidden in the dark clouds, and the light that was cast on the earth became dimmer.

The men were blinded by the wind and could only lower their heads and squint their eyes to prevent the sand and pebbles in the wind from blowing into their eyes.

With a whoosh, the black cloth on the last cart was half-lifted open by the wind, revealing the women and children huddled together in the cage.

The black cloth was blown away by the wind, and the moonlight came in. The people in the cage were finally able to take a look at the world outside. But instead of feeling the slightest bit of joy, they looked terrified, and two children even wanted to reach out and pull the black cloth.

Because there was one more person among them.

A person who appears in a cage out of nowhere.

They gathered this person in the innermost part, and several women quickly surrounded him more tightly, fearing that he would be seen by the thieves.

Fortunately, the wind didn't last long, and the black cloth was covered again, leaving only a gap half a finger wide, so the moonlight had difficulty shining in.

A gust of cold wind blew, and the thieves' anxiety, which had just calmed down, began to beat again, and the cart shook even more violently.

During the bumpy ride, the person in the middle surrounded by several women revealed half of his face.

How to describe this half face?

The Book of Songs says: "The palace is full of peace, and the temple is full of sorrow."

This describes the noble beauty of elegance and dignity. How could a person with such beauty be an ordinary person?

The poem "Ode to the Goddess of Luo River" says: "Its form is as graceful as a startled bird and as gentle as a swimming dragon. It is as glorious as the chrysanthemums of autumn and as flourishing as the pines of spring. It is like a light cloud covering the moon and drifting like snowflakes blown by the wind. When viewed from afar, it is as bright as the sun in the morning glow; when viewed from close up, it is as dazzling as a lotus emerging from the green waves."

This is talking about the beauty of a fairy concubine. How could such a beautiful person be a mortal beauty? She must have come from heaven!

She also has long azure blue hair, which gradually changes from azure blue to pure white from top to bottom, as if it was cut from the entire clear sky, so natural and so dazzling.

How can such a person be a mortal?

They had been in despair for too long, and this person appeared magically and amazingly. They were shocked by her extraordinary beauty and subconsciously regarded her as their lifeline. Even if they were imprisoned, they would use all their strength to protect her.

The women took off their outer garments to cover her, and the children looked at her as if they were looking up at the moon in the sky that was out of reach.

If she could take water or eat biscuits, they would have left half of the biscuits for her.

Wake up.

They hope that the fire of hope in their hearts will finally be rekindled.

Please... no matter what the cost...

Please save us!