Chapter 105: Ten Nightmare Ghosts in Dreams
Meng Caiyun slipped into the courtyard in the moonlight. The whole villa was silent, with only the shadows of the trees swaying on the screen wall.
There was no one in the yard, Uncle Tong should be asleep.
She breathed a sigh of relief and instead of taking the main staircase, she turned around and climbed up to the window on the second floor of the tea room, then climbed into the study as if she knew the way there well.
When she landed, she was as light as a swallow, without making any sound.
The room was darker than outside, with only a few rays of silver light filtering through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the floor. She considered lighting a talisman for illumination, but then gave up. Using the dim light to determine her direction, she tiptoed past the sandalwood desk and tea table, finally stopping before a wide-mouthed blue and white porcelain vase.
There were several scrolls of different lengths and thicknesses in the bottle. She pulled one out at random, opened it to take a look, clicked her tongue, and put it back.
Just as he was about to continue digging, someone suddenly flipped the light switch at the door.
"I was just saying there were mice in the room," Meng Chengyin said, standing at the door with his hands behind his back, sighing and laughing, "What's the point of not sleeping at night?"
Meng Caiyun, caught in the act, felt even more confident and righteous. He turned around and sat down on the sofa next to him: "Dad, aren't you on a business trip?"
"The meeting was canceled at the last minute," Meng Chengyin shook his head and subconsciously pulled a dust-purifying talisman from his pocket. "Didn't Old Tong book a hotel in Langang for you? Why did you come back so suddenly?"
Meng Caiyun watched the other person's actions and waved his hand: "Oh, I didn't go to any dirty places—cough cough cough!"
Her refusal was a beat too late. The dust-purifying talisman turned into mist when it touched the corner of her clothes. She fanned it with her hand and said, "Could Meng Zhao's mysophobia be inherited from you?"
Meng Chengyin deliberately frowned: "Nonsense."
Meng Caiyun turned his gaze to the blue and white porcelain vase: "Dad, there is something I want to ask you."
Meng Chengyin walked to the desk and sorted out the stationery: "What's the matter?"
"Do you remember that time when you captured a nightmare ghost?"
Meng Chengyin smiled and glanced at her reproachfully: "You came to my study in the middle of the night to burglarize, just to find this?"
Meng Caiyun touched his nose embarrassedly: "I thought you were not here before, and I was afraid of waking up Uncle Tong and the others. It would be troublesome."
Meng Chengyin pondered for a moment, then raised his wrist. A scroll flew straight up from the mouth of the bottle and slowly fell into his palm.
"You were still young at the time, and I was just starting out in the Zhu League. Someone reported a group of people missing in the mountains, and the location happened to be within the jurisdiction of Taiqing Palace. It was my responsibility to solve the case."
"That's when I learned that there are such things as nightmare ghosts in the world. They live underground for a long time and feed on people's nightmares. They often capture innocent people and trap them in their lairs, triggering their own inner demons and nightmares, causing them to suffer and provide them with food. This thing is called 'ghost', but it should actually be called 'evil spirit'."
Meng Caiyun asked curiously, "Then how did you collect it?"
Meng Chengyin smiled and said, "I borrowed something that happens to be able to control nightmares."
"What is it?"
"Liuxian Temple, Madam Liu's bronze bell."
Meng Caiyun was stunned. "Is it that... thing hanging on the willow tree? Is it really useful?"
"Why wouldn't it be useful?" Meng Chengyin couldn't help but laugh. He gently adjusted his glasses and explained, "Madam Liu is a well-respected local dream goddess. She's in charge of warding off nightmares and exorcising dreams. The willow tree in the courtyard has long been imbued with spiritual energy. Using the copper bells on it to deal with nightmares is naturally the most appropriate."
Meng Caiyun's blood boiled after hearing this. She rubbed her hands together and said, "Do you still have that nightmare ghost? Can I take a look at what it looks like?"
Meng Chengyin has had a lot of clerical work in recent years, either attending meetings of the Zhu League, or assisting the Abnormal Management Bureau and relevant departments, and teaching newcomers. But in his early years, he also did a lot of "field work" and received countless evil spirits. He has a habit of putting the things he received that cannot be reincarnated into the Qiankun Treasure Scroll. Occasionally, when he encounters newcomers in actual combat, he will use the things in the treasure scroll as teaching aids and handouts.
Meng Chengyin turned the scroll in his hand and shook his head helplessly: "I knew you would say that."
His expression suddenly became serious. "This isn't a good thing. Be careful not to be possessed by it. I'm only showing it to you once."
Meng Caiyun nodded readily: "I'll listen to the senior."
Meng Chengyin flicked his wrist, and the scroll unfolded more than ten feet, undulating in the room. The black shadow painted on it also slowly moved into the air, revealing its entity vaguely.
The thing had a head like a vulture, its body covered with purple and black veins, a beak curved like a hook, and smelly mucus dripped from it when it opened and closed. Suddenly, a leopard-like body grew from under its neck, and its sharp claws shone with a cold luster. The most terrifying thing was its snake tail, as thick as a giant python and covered with scales. When it swept across the ground, it made a sound like metal hitting stone.
It was restrained by the Qiankun Treasure Scroll, and it raised its head and neighed, the sound like a baby crying, which made Meng Caiyun dizzy. He couldn't help but cover his ears with his hands, with a grin on his face.
Meng Chengyin snapped his fingers, and the scroll rolled up, and the terrifying monster was retracted. The entire quiet room was empty, as if nothing had happened.
"You saw it too. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Meng Caiyun let go of his hand awkwardly. "Were you sure you destroyed the entire Nightmare's Nest? Did you... secretly miss a few?"
Meng Chengyin was stunned: "That shouldn't be the case. What happened to you recently?"
"No, I just saw someone post something a while ago that felt like it might be the symptoms of a haunting," Meng Caiyun muttered. "Is this illegal gathering about to start? I'm afraid some unclean creature will come and cause trouble."
Meng Chengyin frowned: "Don't worry, I will be nearby at that time, so nothing will go wrong."
He added, "This item has been missing for a long time and is not very common. I personally used the Soul-Breaking Talisman back then, so I wouldn't have missed any. I only have this one, so I kept it as a textbook. Besides me, not even you can open the Treasure Scroll."
Meng Caiyun rubbed his nose in frustration: "Oh."
Could it be that she was wrong and it wasn't the work of a nightmare ghost?
-
The night wind swept across the rice fields, and dark waves rolled.
Meng Zhao stumbled and ran away, the rice ears hitting his cheeks, leaving fine bloody marks.
He is running away from someone.
Suddenly... he was caught up, and a fierce fight ensued. It was a dark and chaotic fight, and blood-like substance pooled at his ankles, seeming to drown him.
After an unknown amount of time, a scarecrow slowly stood up, and he saw clearly that the head hanging on it was his own...
Meng Zhao suddenly woke up.
The familiar office space came into view, and the lingering fear caused the voice-over to be delayed, and it took a while before the sound and picture were synchronized.
He took a nap at his workstation and unexpectedly fell asleep.
Was that just a dream?
As realistic as if it really happened.
Meng Zhao pinched his nose bridge, closed his eyes and rested for a while, then stood up and walked towards the room at the end of the corridor.
The walls are silver-gray, and every branch office of the Abnormal Management Bureau has a minimalist style. I remember that Director Bai also spent a lot of money to create a corporate VI. From an old building of a Chinese-style state-owned unit, it has evolved at the speed of light into a new Internet giant. For a while, he even considered whether to keep up with the trend and adopt flat management. Later, he thought about it and gave up, because he was too lazy to come up with an English name.
Even if you take a foreign name and go out to recruit local people, it won't be intimidating.
Inside the room, a woman with a ponytail sat idly in a swivel chair, two reports in her hands, a cigarette dangling from her lips in annoyance. Hearing a knock on the door, she snapped her fingers, and the window sash flew open without a breeze, dispersing much of the smoky smell that filled the room.
"Enter."
Meng Zhao pushed the door open and came in. He was still wearing his blue-black uniform and looked exhausted. His expression seemed a little haggard, perhaps because of the nightmare he had just had.
Before he could speak, the woman teased, "How are you? Are you getting used to being the acting captain?"
Meng Zhao smiled and asked, "Captain Wang... no, Minister Wang, are you comfortable being the deputy minister?"
Wang Lingqi stubbed his cigarette out in anger. "Ah, talking to you never gets me anywhere—what's up? Are the results out?"
"Not yet. The poster and his colleagues are in our sanatorium. The examination report is out, and their memories haven't been manipulated. They haven't had any contact with the so-called 'reporter' before. As for the cause of the dream, we're still investigating," Meng Zhao said in one breath. "Wen Caishen died from a stab wound to the heart. He was human, so he couldn't be saved."
Wang Lingqi hummed, "He's the weakest of the Four Wealth Gods. It's no surprise he died."
It was obvious that Ying Si's death was regarded as someone seeking revenge on the Sansi Gate.
Although the saying "Black and White Civil and Military" is popular in the market, in fact the strength of the Four Gods of Wealth is not always ranked in this order. If you really want to talk about it, even if Zhao Fu died early, she still deserves the first place.
The rest are the Black God of Wealth and the Martial God of Wealth. It is only because the Martial God of Wealth is too Buddhist that people put "wen" before "wu".
In fact, according to common sense, four out of the four should be living people. If he is not at the end, who will be? His colleagues are all real seniors, and their ages start from three digits.
"The crux of the matter still lies with that mysterious informant. We must find him," Wang Lingqi said, poring over the report. "We also need to investigate the identity of Liu Wu in the dream. Let Xiaobai help you. Also, check the Liuxian Temple... have you made sure there's no resentment leaking out?"
Meng Zhao replied politely, "No, the Liuxian Temple was rebuilt after a fire more than ten years ago. Since then, open flame offerings have been prohibited. I guess because of this, the spiritual energy of the Liuxian Temple has gradually faded. Now it is just a scenic spot."
If you cannot absorb the incense for a long time, the spiritual energy will indeed dissipate.
Wang Lingqi sighed, "There's nothing I can do about it. The villagers' safety is more important."
There are many "land gods" like Liu Niangzi all over the country. They are like immortals but not immortals. They are more like mountain spirits and earth spirits. If they are blessed, they can also achieve great fortune.
The four immortals Hu, Huang, Chang and Mang, who are worshipped by the incense-watchers in the north of the mountain, were all cultivated in this way. They are called great immortals, but in fact, to be serious, they are similar to great monsters.
The Alien Management Bureau holds a neutral attitude towards these land gods. If they do not do evil and are kind to people, they will lend a hand and make friends with them, but ultimately, humans are the most important thing.
"Minister Wang, what do you think of this case?"
Wang Lingqi raised his eyes. "It's either a ghost or something evil. But since it involves the God of Wealth of the Three Death Gates, I'm afraid it could be another trap."
She pierced through the veil of secrecy and said meaningfully, "It just so happens that the Liuxian Temple Dharma Assembly went viral online a while ago. It just so happens that a lot of people are coming this time. It just so happens that Wen Caishen died here. The Three Death Sects haven't made any noise for a while. Do you think they'll take advantage of this to join in the fun?"
Meng Zhao frowned and didn't answer.
Wang Lingqi suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, your cousin seems to be at this Dharma Assembly as well?"
Meng Zhao: "Yes."
Wang Lingqi touched his chin. "It was my oversight. I'll send another team to accompany you later."
Meng Zhao: "Minister Wang, I can handle it."
Wang Lingqi chuckled twice, "I'm just worried that you'll handle it too well and lose your temper and become ruthless."
She stood up and patted the other person's shoulder: "Your Royal Department still needs to keep some things as performance."
Meng Zhao: “…”
After coming out of the minister's office, he went straight to the bathroom next door to wash his face.
There is a large mirror hanging in front of it, and green plants are dotted around it to relieve stress.
Meng Zhao leaned his hands on the edge of the washbasin, letting the water droplets drip from his forehead after washing his face. He slowly raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.
Without glasses, his standard single eyelids looked cool and thin, a little unfamiliar.
After a while, he covered his neck with one hand, stroking the skin above his collarbone with his thumb, his face gloomy.
After a while, his skin was rubbed red, as if there was a needle hidden under the epidermis, and he was trying every means to squeeze it out.
Meng Zhao stared at the mirror in a daze, gradually increasing the strength of his fingers.
He vaguely saw a pinhole-like spot appear on the skin - what could be inside it?
Could it be... straw?
He suddenly had an idea.
I really want to tear it open and take a look.
…
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