It was past eight in the evening and it was completely dark.
Jingcheng had been in the ancient city for several days, but this was the first time he experienced the charm of the "city that never sleeps".
Tonight in the ancient city is very different from the nights of the past few days.
All the stores on the street that usually close in the evening are now open for business, setting off fireworks and firecrackers, making the scene very lively.
Smoke rises from small restaurants and street stalls, and the place is packed with tourists.
In the square further away, there was a stage for opera performances, which went on endlessly. It was said that it started at 3pm and didn't end until the sun set.
A group of young hikers came over, some with SLR cameras hanging around their necks, some holding cameras, but most of them were holding mobile phones and selfie sticks. They made funny expressions and movements, and ran away like a gust of wind, laughing.
Then came another group of elderly people. The young female tour guide wore a little red hat on her head and held a glow stick high in her hand. She walked slowly and introduced the local temple fair features to the elderly people behind her.
The tourists listened absentmindedly, their curious eyes swept over the surrounding ancient buildings, whispering to each other from time to time, with faint smiles and satisfaction on their faces.
He couldn't help but walk to the window of the restaurant and stare at the magnificent scene outside.
...
...
"Sit down and eat first, then we'll go out and watch the fun." Qin Yan brought a set meal to Jing Cheng. Jing Cheng was not picky about food, he would eat anything as long as it was edible, and he was a very easy person to serve.
Jing Cheng turned around in surprise: "Aren't you sleepy? You've only slept for two hours since yesterday."
“I’m used to it.”
Qin Yan answered nonchalantly and sat down to eat his meal.
"Of course you need to be full to have the energy to stay up late! In this situation, you won't be able to sleep tonight." Fu Le came over with the meal and said casually, "I just heard that many people are going to the Taoist temple and will stay up until twelve o'clock to be the first to burn incense. With Chengzi's skills, he will definitely be the first to burn incense!"
Jing Cheng: “…” Why should I burn incense?
Halfway through the meal, bursts of gong sounds were heard outside.
The sound of the gong came from far away and was gradually approaching. There was more than one person beating the gong. The various "clang clang clang" and "clang clang clang" noises almost resounded through the sky. Even the customers sitting in the restaurant eating covered their ears with an expression of unbearable pain on their faces.
Especially for a practitioner like Jing Cheng who has sharp eyes and ears, the world he sees is magnified, and the sounds he hears are also magnified. When he first heard this deafening noise without any rhythm, he was immediately "shocked".
The screams of more than a dozen ghosts had never been as unbearable as they were now.
Jing Cheng's hands shook unconsciously like a Parkinson's patient, and he put down his chopsticks with a pale face.
Qin Yan and Fu Le, who were sitting opposite him, looked at him worriedly. Looking at Jing Cheng's expression, it seemed that he would foam at the mouth, roll his eyes and fall to the ground in the next second.
Modern people live with noise all year round. After enduring the first wave, they regain their calm and ease.
Many people rushed out of the hotel with excitement on their faces.
“Here it comes!”
"It's the parade of gods! What are you eating? Come and see!"
"The team will leave soon, hurry up and catch up!"
"Fuck! What a long line... There are many more people participating this year than in previous years."
"Oh my god... this cosplayer's costume is so realistic! Is that a Yasha? It looks like it was painted directly on the face, not wearing a mask like before."
"Wow, I see the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Devil and the Judge... The one sitting high on the sedan chair is the King of Hell, right?"
"Hey - that's strange, why are all the people who came out this year the Earth Officials? Where is the Heaven Official team?"
"I guess they're still queuing up behind..."
The sound of the gong attracted all the tourists. For a moment, there were constant screams and whistles, as well as the crying of children, the scolding of adults, the quarreling of women, etc., which combined into a huge torrent of noise and rushed straight towards Jingcheng.
Jing Cheng: ...
He had no choice but to calm down, focus on the essence of the universe, shut out the external noise, make his mind empty, and then... calmly picked up the chopsticks to eat.
The words Qin Yan wanted to say in greeting were choked back in his throat, and he lowered his head to eat in silence.
Fu Le couldn't sit still when he heard the noise outside. Seeing how calm the two were, he looked like a child, so he followed their example and straightened his expression.
A member of the production crew not far away accidentally saw the three people eating quietly, pointed in their direction and whispered: "As expected of Master Jing's companions, they are so calm at such a young age."
A female staff member said: "They are well-informed and are used to it. Do you think they are all bumpkins coming to the city like you?"
The male staff member blew his beard and glared: "You——"
"What do you mean by me? Eat quickly! We still have to prepare for the live broadcast tonight."
…
An hour later, Jing Cheng, Qin Yan, Fu Le and the program crew followed the "Saiyoushen" team around the scenic area.
The "Judge" held the statue of the god and led the way in front.
The leading "priest" is the King of Hell in the "Saiyoushen", played by a nine-foot tall man. At this time, "he" wears a mask with a green face and fangs, and dark and gorgeous clothes. He sits high on a sedan chair carried by eight "ox-headed and horse-faced demons".
"Black Impermanence" and "White Impermanence" stood on both sides, holding torches.
Following behind are Meng Po, Yaksha, Rakshasa and other underworld demons.
Behind them were many children around five or six years old, wearing crimson jackets, with snow-white powder and blush on their faces, and they were skipping and jumping in the middle of the team, arm in arm.
"Fuck! There are kids here? Are they playing ginseng dolls?" Fu Le pointed at the group of weirdly dressed kids and said in surprise.
Jing Cheng took a glance and said, "That's the Night Wanderer."
"What is a Night Walker? I've never heard of it."
"In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there is a saying: 'There are two gods, eight with linked arms, who are in charge of the night in this wilderness for the emperor.' They are evil gods, and it will be unlucky to meet them at night."
Upon hearing the word "unlucky", Fu Le immediately shut up and moved away from the "Saiyoushen" team.
Tourists along the street took photos of the long line, and many people followed the line like Jing Cheng and his friends.
The night was getting darker and darker, the moon was hidden in the misty dark clouds, and only a few stars in the sky were twinkling with a hazy light.
The streets are bustling with people.
The team set off fireworks as they moved forward, and soon the entire street was shrouded in a faint smoke.
The "priests" shuttled through the smoke, unexpectedly creating an atmosphere of a real "procession".
Just then, a group of people came hurriedly from a distance.
These people were very arrogant and didn't even look at the road. All the tourists who stood in their way were violently pushed away.
The tourist who was pushed away cursed angrily, but the group seemed not to hear him and continued to do as they pleased.
But soon everyone knew why they were so "arrogant".
Because the leader was holding a stick of incense that was almost as tall as an adult and as thick as a child's waist, the people following him were clearing the way for him.
Incense is a very fragile thing and can easily break if you are not careful.
When the tourists saw this scene, they were all amazed. When people came over, they quickly hid to the sides.
Perhaps the incense was quite heavy, veins popped out on the leader's forehead and his expression looked a little ferocious.
Jing Cheng looked over curiously and found that it was actually an acquaintance.
Qin Yan also saw this scene, with a strange expression on his face: "Isn't that Mr. Chen? Where did he buy such thick incense?"
Fu Le shook his head and said, "Today's merchants are really unscrupulous in order to compete. Such a big incense stick must cost several thousand yuan."
A photographer from the program crew raised a high-definition camera to record the scene.
"Huh? Why did you change your equipment?" Fu Le leaned over curiously and saw the barrage of comments flashing across the phone screen of the staff member next to him. He was surprised and asked, "Are you broadcasting live? Is the program really going to be changed to live broadcast?"
The cameraman sighed helplessly and said, "Director Zhao asked us to try out the live broadcast effect first. After all, it would be hard to explain why the netizens put pressure on the program by writing a petition in blood. If the effect is not good, he will negotiate with the higher-ups to continue the variety show."
"Thank you for your hard work!" Fu Le understood and patted the photographer comfortingly.
When they heard it was a live broadcast, Jing Cheng and Qin Yan took out masks from their backpacks and put them on at the same time.
It was too dark and Chen Xingguang didn't recognize them. The group of people hurriedly ran towards a temple not far away.
The two parties passed each other, and in the blink of an eye, the flash of a tourist's secret photo illuminated Mr. Chen's face, which was caught by Jing Cheng.
He saw that the space between Mr. Chen's eyebrows was black, his face was blue, and there were horizontal lines on the bridge of his nose - these were signs of impending sudden death.
This means that Mr. Chen will definitely die within an hour!
Jing Cheng frowned. Mr. Chen knew him for a while and gave him so much money. It seemed not good to watch him die without helping him.
Qin Yan stared at Mr. Chen's back and said to Jing Cheng hesitantly, "Didn't you say before that he was poisoned? Why does he look so energetic?"
"Generally speaking, Gu only affects a person's mind occasionally, and usually there is no problem." Jing Cheng explained habitually, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "But he seems to be in trouble tonight. Do you think I should intervene?"
Qin Yan was surprised: "How difficult is it?"
"It's a doom."
Jing Cheng answered seriously.
Qin Yan was silent for a moment, looking into Jing Cheng's eyes: "In fact, when you asked me, you had already made the decision, right?"
Jingcheng nodded hesitantly.
"Since we have met, there is no reason to stand by and watch someone die." Qin Yan glanced at him and said for some reason, "Why did you think of asking me? I thought you would make the decision yourself."
"..." Jing Cheng's expression was blank for a moment, and he blurted out, "You are my apprentice, who else should I ask if not you?"
Qin Yan: “???”
There seems to be something wrong with this sentence...wait, is the cause and effect reversed?
When Qin Yan came to his senses, he found that Jing Cheng had already run far away.
.
Jing Cheng walked a few steps behind Mr. Chen, and suddenly he felt something and stopped.
He turned his head and looked at the long street in the distance.
I don’t know when it started, but fog gradually filled the streets.
It was not the smoke produced by fireworks, but a slightly moist mist.
He sniffed and there was a faint fishy smell in the mist.
The sound of a baby crying was faintly heard in the fog.
The voice was so soft that it seemed to come from far away, and it cut through the noise of the crowd, as if calling out to something.
The tourists walked forward unconsciously, seemingly unaware that anything was wrong.
In the darkness, Jing Cheng felt the gazes from all directions, staring at him through the mist, as if they wanted to cut him into pieces.
Jing Cheng took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He needs to open his third eye to sense the location of these "things".
-----
The author has something to say:
You have to wait a while for Yan Xiu, finish this copy first.
Thanks to Bai Xiaoyong for the nutrient solution, I am happy~
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