Chapter 14 Leaving Home
But when Gu Yuan walked into the village, he found that it was not as peaceful as it looked on the outside.
The village chief was pacing outside his house worriedly.
"Uncle, what happened?"
Gu Yuan asked softly, could something have happened in the village again?
He went out early this morning and didn't know if there was anything strange happening in the village last night.
The village chief raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with struggle: "Xiao Yuan... your brother Zhuzi... was haunted last night."
Gu Yuan's fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of his clothes.
Brother Zhuzi said yesterday that he would send him cooked rice dumplings.
"Is Brother Zhuzi okay?" Gu Yuan asked anxiously.
"He's fine, but he's pretty scared."
The village chief shook his head and said, "We asked a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain to come and see him. He said..."
The village chief suddenly stopped, his calloused hands tightly gripping his cane, his knuckles turning white.
"What did the Taoist priest say?"
Gu Yuan's tone was calm.
The village chief sighed again, this time with a choked voice: "The Taoist priest said that it is because you are here that all those dirty things have gathered in our village..."
Gu Yuan frowned.
No wonder there are so many things in the forest behind the mountain.
He remembered that Uncle Zhang was possessed by evil spirits, and now Brother Zhuzi was like this too. It was all because of him, because he was the walking ghost bait.
"I see."
Gu Yuan heard his own voice was unusually calm: "You are here on behalf of the villagers to persuade me to leave."
The village chief lowered his head in shame, his voice trembling: "The Taoist priest said that only if you leave can the village be at peace... Xiaoyuan, I'm sorry, but I'm the village chief and I have to put the overall situation first..."
"It's okay. I understand."
Gu Yuan interrupted his apology and took out a neatly folded yellow talisman from his pocket: "This is the talisman that Grandpa Lin drew to ward off evil spirits. Please give it to Brother Zhuzi for me and tell him I'm sorry for you."
The village chief took the talisman paper with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face: "Child, uncle is not capable of protecting you..."
Gu Yuan shook his head and forced a smile: "I'm about to start school, so I might as well move to the city to be closer to school."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the "home" where he had lived for twelve years.
I pushed open the creaking wooden door and found it was empty inside.
Gu Yuan stood in the middle of the courtyard and suddenly felt an unprecedented loneliness.
"Those things really came because of you."
A deep voice sounded in his mind.
Gu Yuan's body stiffened, and a wave of irritation surged up: "Ji Yunzhou, could you please stop making sarcastic remarks at this time?"
"Sarcastic remarks?"
Ji Yunzhou's voice was a little playful: "I'm just stating an objective fact. When that old man Li was alive, he was indeed quite capable. He used a very strange forbidden technique to suppress the sweet smell of your body that attracted ghosts.
With his death, the magic has lost its effect. Your extremely yin body is like a lighthouse in the dark night, the brightest one at that. All the ghosts and monsters within a hundred miles, as long as they have a little bit of Taoism skills, can smell the scent and find you.
If this village hadn't been crushed by ghosts, your ancestors' graves would have been smoking."
Gu Yuan remained silent and did not refute.
Although Ji Yunzhou spoke harshly, he was telling the truth.
Gu Yuan walked into the simple house and began to pack his few luggage.
It was called luggage, but in fact it was just a few pieces of washed-out clothes, a few old textbooks, and a small box of talismans and magical instruments left by Grandpa Lin.
He mechanically stuffed these items into a faded backpack, but his thoughts drifted far away.
"The village chief is right. You should leave here."
Ji Yunzhou continued, "Not just for the villagers, but also for yourself. There's nothing here. It's so boring."
Gu Yuan's hand paused.
Fifteen days later would be his nineteenth birthday, which was also the day of the great catastrophe predicted by Grandpa Lin.
If you are destined to die, at least don't die in the village.
He didn't want Uncle Zhang, Brother Zhuzi, and the villagers who had watched him grow up to see that he might eventually become... beyond recognition.
"But……"
Gu Yuan's packing slowed down, and he spoke with some difficulty in his heart: "Go to the city... I don't have the money to let you experience the life of a rich person."
"Huh? You're still considering me?"
Ji Yunzhou sneered, his tone filled with exaggerated emotion: "Tsk, it's really touching. I'm almost moved to tears by you."
The tone was full of sarcasm.
Gu Yuan pursed her lips and did not respond to his teasing.
After packing his luggage, he sat on the edge of the bed and took out an iron box from under his pillow.
There were 24,372 yuan neatly stacked inside.
This is Grandpa Lin’s life savings.
He counted carefully over and over again.
After a long moment, he uttered a barely audible sigh, filled with the unbearable worry of a young man:
"Ji Yunzhou, luckily you're a ghost and don't need to eat, otherwise... I can't even afford to support you."
This statement was half self-deprecating and half genuine embarrassment.
"puff……"
A short chuckle came from his mind, and then Ji Yunzhou said in a matter-of-fact yet slightly disdainful tone:
"That... little friend, let me correct a misunderstanding. Although I am a spirit, I am not one of those lonely ghosts who can't even eat incense.
As for the delicacies of the human world, as long as the king is willing, he can still eat them... well, the king has tried them all. "
"What?"
Gu Yuan was so shocked that he almost dropped the iron box. He raised his head suddenly, his eyes wide open: "You...you can still eat food from a living person? Then have you ever tried coffee or milk tea? I see that people in the city all have a cup in their hands. They are colorful and look very expensive...I also want to try what it tastes like, but..."
His voice gradually lowered, with a cautious desire and deeper embarrassment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cold iron box:
"...This money is what Grandpa Lin has saved his entire life. Not a single cent can be wasted... I have to save it for tuition, rent, and food..."
The more he spoke, the softer his voice became, until it was almost a mutter.
An awkward silence filled my consciousness.
Gu Yuan could feel that Ji Yunzhou seemed to be choked by his petty remarks.
After a while, Gu Yuan seemed to have come up with a brilliant idea, speaking in a tentative and negotiating tone.
He added softly, "Ji Yunzhou... Look, you're a ghost, so powerful, can you... just stop eating? Isn't it nice to just talk to me like now? It saves money..."
The more he spoke, the less confident he became.
Ji Yunzhou: “…………”
"Who used you to support me?"
Ji Yunzhou's voice suddenly rose, filled with a sense of deep offense and anger: "You are insulting me! Are you looking down on me? When you get to the city and establish yourself, I will treat you to a drink! As much as you want!"
The tone seemed to be announcing a great gift.
Gu Yuan blinked in surprise, temporarily forgetting his heavy heart, and asked curiously:
"Ghosts can buy things? How...how do you pay?"
Then, an even more terrifying thought popped up in his mind. His face changed and his tone became alert: "Wait! Where did you get the money from the human world? Did you...did you steal it? Or...rob..."
He didn't dare to think further. If Ji Yunzhou really did such a thing, it would be a big trouble.
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