Wild grass luxuriant, fog and rain.

On the dilapidated ancient ferry by the river, a small boat floated lightly recently.

Ore.

There was a sway among the reeds, and accompanied by the crisp sound of copper bells, a Taoist man leading a donkey came out abruptly.

"Boatman." The Taoist slapped the dew stained on his clothes, half complaining and half joking, "It's really not easy to take your ferry."

This Taoist dress is quite peculiar. The Taoist robe on the outer cover still looks like a look, but the faintly exposed inner lining and the boots under his feet are not like those of the Central Plains. In particular, he carried a long wooden box on his back, and a long sword without ears hung from his waist. He lifted the hat, revealing a young face.

"I walked a few miles along this river bank and spent several hours in the rain before I finally found your ferry."

"Is the world bad?"

The father-in-law who was holding on to the stern replied slowly.

This is a skinny and rickety old man, not very angry, his voice and movement are like rusty gears, with a slight sluggishness.

"There are more dead people floating in the water than living people, so I said that you are the first guest this month."

"That's an honor."

The Taoist smiled and pointed to his donkey.

The boatman knows.

"It's okay, although it's good."

As soon as the words fell, the donkey swooped into the boat. The donkey's fur was shiny, and his body was plump and heavy, and the bow sank immediately. The boat suddenly "fluttered" like a carp entering the shallow water.

But the boatman didn't panic, and only swayed the long into the water, and the boat was as smooth as ever before.

Upon seeing this, the Taoist came on board and patted the donkey on the head.

"The donkey is stubborn and disturbed the boatman."

"Nothing, where do the guests want to go?"

"On the other side."

Hearing this, the boatman didn't delay much, and immediately shook the boat and left the ferry.

It's just not ten steps.

"Wait slowly."

A voice came from the shore.

"Take a certain journey."

…………

The second guest is a Takeo.

The long sword hanging on the waist, although a bit old; the armor, although a bit torn. But after all, it is well-equipped, but it can't make people think of words like "brave" at all.

Probably because of this person's body is thin, beard and hair are like weeds in the deep winter, and layers of folds collapse on the face, and brown spots of various sizes are scattered randomly.

But he is a dead old man.

He was extremely embarrassed when he got on the boat.

It seemed to have been soaked in the water a few times, and then thrown into the wind for a few days. I don't know how long I was stuck by the river.

Shaking and shaking.

When the Taoist saw it, he quickly took out a blanket and a pot of spirits from his luggage and handed it to him.

The veteran thanked him, and stayed aside without saying a word.

On the other side, the boatman has already set off again.

Shake the water wave one by one, leaving Gudu, slid lightly to the opposite bank.

…………

The fog on the river is much thicker than on the shore, like a layer of cotton wool covering the water. On the other hand, the river water is extremely quiet and slow. If it weren't for the slight sound of breaking the water waves, it really teaches people to think that they are not walking on the water, but floating in the fog.

On board.

The veteran was still trembling; the Taoist priest just closed his eyes and concentrated; the donkey stuck his head out, trying to chew the cotton-like mist. But the boatman seemed to have become a lot more energetic, and his movements were no longer stagnant, and his rickety body was also a lot taller.

He suddenly proposed:

"The boat crosses the river slowly, or else the old man tells a story for the two of you, how can you talk about it?"

The veteran said nothing.

The Taoist opened his eyes with interest.

"OK."

…………

There is a man named Wang Er at the nearby pier. This man is a rascal who lives by catching some shrimps and crabs. He has no family and is a pauper, so he can only live in a shack by the dock.

One night, he went to the riverside to get up, and suddenly found that a man in a fur coat was wandering beside the passenger ship moored at the pier. He suspected that he was a water bandit who stepped on ideas, so he didn't dare to scream, just hiding in the reeds and peeping carefully.

I only saw the man in the clothes wandering for a while, suddenly jumped into the water, hung a bell on the draft water of one of the boats, and then disappeared after being submerged in the water.

The next day, I got news that the ship was overturned by wind and waves, and the entire ship was swallowed by Jiang Shen!

When Wang Er was horrified, he had a crooked heart, so every midnight, he sneaked into the reeds to spy. Occasionally, you can bump into a man in the clothes, pick a ship to hang the copper bell. Anyone chosen by him will surely capsize not far from the dock, and the people on the ship are also inevitable.

So he knew that the man in the dress must be the messenger of the Jiang God, and the boat that was hung with the bronze bell was the sacrifice chosen for the Jiang God!

Wang Er is a poor and mad rascal. He even used this to make a profit and relied on leaked water to sail the boat's misfortune and collect money.

After a few years, there were few shipwrecks in this section of the waterway, and Wang Er gradually accumulated a family and made a fortune.

But one day, there was a riot in the place. He was afraid of being affected, so he had to take a boat to the other side to take shelter.

It was the same weather that day, and the drizzle was indistinguishable from the view of the river.

Wang Er took his Wanguan family wealth, wives and concubines and children on a ferry.

Before boarding the boat, he even made a special circle around the boat and confirmed that no brass bell was hung, and then he set off to cross the river.

But at the heart of Jiang.

Suddenly, the fog became heavy, and the two sides of the strait were nowhere to be seen.

The river surface was also full of winds and swells, the boat bumped, and at the same time I heard a thin copper bell.

Wang Erxunsheng looked over.

The souls are violent.

It turned out that there was a copper bell hanging on the handle of the scull, and the boatman next to it took off the hat, and it was the man in the clothes.

…………

With the end of the story of the boatman, the boat gradually moved closer to the heart of the river.

The fog and rain became thicker, and the scenery on the shore became more and more difficult to distinguish, and the sun in the sky was also behind the rain clouds, smudging into a large, burr-filled day shift.

"That's it."

The sword was uncomfortable against the waist, the Taoist untied it, lay it on his knees, and then smiled.

"I also have a story here."

…………

As the saying goes: if you are not guilty, you should kill the car and boat shop.

The Li Si I'm going to talk about today is a boatman who carries passengers on the river and begs for food, but this person is a lively Yama on the water because of his evil methods. If anyone is unidentified, he will get on his boat and arrive in Jiangxin, keep the boat horizontal and ask if you want to eat "Bandao noodles" or "Wonton noodles."

What's the meaning?

"Ban Dao noodles" is chopped to death with a single knife, and then thrown into the water; "Wonton noodles" is to let you jump into the river by yourself, so as not to dirty his Li Yan Wang's knife.

But after going back and forth, Li Si's reputation spread all over the banks of the river, like the smelly **** in the dog days, everyone walked around him. Don't talk about the "ban knife noodles" and "wonton noodles" tricks, even normal livelihoods can't be done. Seeing that he was about to be hungry, he was so anxious that he was under a curse and swore that he would reform and rehabilitate since then. If he does that wicked business again, Lord Long bless him to eat wonton noodles by himself.

But.

Who can believe him? Who dares to believe him?

But who can tell the truth about the world? One night, Li Si slept in a daze. He suddenly heard someone calling his name outside the door. He put on his clothes and went out to see. It turned out that it was an outsider who was crossing the river in a hurry and found him on his head.

Finally, he had a business. He was overjoyed and accepted it without thinking too much.

When he first sailed, he still slightly remembered the poisonous oath he had made. But as the ferry boat drifted away from the shore, the moonlight gradually became clear, and the gaps exposed by the guests' baggage were shining with silver light.

It is a few silver ingots!

This caused him to be full of bad water mixed with saliva, and he naturally sprouted. When he arrived in the heart of the river, he swept the boat as usual.

This guest grew up in stature, it seemed that Kong Wu was powerful, and Li Si was scrupulous, only daring to make money, but not to kill him.

But when it arrived in the heart of the river, there was no place on all sides, and the waves seemed to be gentle, but in fact the undercurrents surged.

The guest had no choice but to say: Money can be given, but it cannot be given in vain, it must be borrowed!

Li Si was not upset and rejoiced. In this way, wouldn't he be afraid of the other party reporting to the official? Besides, he has Li Sibopi alone, so he doesn't know how to write the word "return".

Now it is a promise!

Next, on the other side, the guests hurried into the night, and Li Siping got seven large ingots for nothing.

After only ten days, this windfall was completely spent by Li Si. One day I wake up from a hangover, and there is no more rice in the tank. He remembered again that the guest left a folder when he left, and it might be worth a few dollars if it is beautifully framed.

But when he arrived at the pawnshop, he was blasted out. It turned out that the zigzag was a guide, and it was not a thing for the sun, and it said:

"Huang, a native of Guizhou, died in Shandong on a certain day, a certain year, and a certain day. Today, he returned to his hometown and became a ghost. Those who ferry to the city gods, temples, and Guanjin rivers shall not stop the dead souls."

Li Si was still in a bad mood, and in a flash, he was surrounded by a group of people, rushing to ask him to pay back the money. It turned out that these people were all the stewards of the gambling stalls, prostitutes, and restaurants he had taken care of. The money he spent these days has all turned into ashes today.

He was forced to do nothing, so he agreed to double the repayment, but at night, he secretly ran to the other side to hide from the debt.

However, on the other side, ghosts knocked on the door in the middle of the night.

It turned out that the customer was the "Huang" who "Lu Yin" picked up the passengers and died in Shandong.

He had stayed on the north bank for a long time because of his hatred of the river god, so he had to use Li Si to hide from the sky to cross the sea. Because he was afraid that Guan Shen would detect the lock, he did not dare to entangle with Li Si, and hurried away after going ashore.

He came to the door this time, one is to draw back, and the other is to repay the debt.

Li Si was so scared that he was so scared that he naturally didn't dare to refuse.

However.

It's really a rogue who ran into a rogue. It was paper money that was borrowed, and real money was required to return it!

At this moment, Li Si was rushed by the people during the day and panicked by the ghosts at night.

Helpless in every possible way, Li Si picked up a dark and windy night for a month, and sailed to the heart of the river, pierced the bottom of the boat, and invited himself to eat "wonton noodles".

…………

The story is over.

In the cold smoke, the Taoist smiled and said:

"If the boatman, the'Emissary of the River God,' hit Huang, who is a poor Dao, what would the scene be like?"

"Wouldn't it happen that ghosts hit ghosts?"

A hoarse voice came in from the side, it was that the veteran finally eased his breath.

The boatman looked at him a few times:

"Brother, where is this going?"

"Disarm and return to the field." The veteran patted his waist, "Go home to visit relatives."

"This is amazing."

The boatman suddenly smiled and said:

"The chaos in the world is all in a mess. I just listened to where the strong man was pulled again. I haven't seen any soldier who was released."

"Brother is a deserter, right?"

"Pooh!"

The veteran immediately changed his color, took a sip, and cursed:

"If I were a deserter, you would be a water bandit!"

He clasped his fists in a salute and explained:

"I served in the northern borders, followed the Yanzhe to fight against the enemy, and the prefect pityed me for the old and the weak, so I was allowed to relinquish my armies and return to the fields."

After speaking, he bowed his hand at the Taoist priest again.

"I was blocked by the river and stayed on the shore for a long time. I almost lost my life because of the wind and rain. I was owed to the long blankets and spirits."

The Taoist waved his hand, not daring to take credit.

But the boatman didn't say anything, and he teased again.

"That's even more strange."

"A few days ago, the sun was exposed to the sun, and I wandered on the river for a long time, and I didn't see you as a character. You came out on a rainy day today."

He paused, jokingly said.

"Isn't the old brother like the Taoist story, he is a lonely soul who has returned home, can't be led, can't cross the river, right?"

The veteran had a good temper. Although his face was trembling with anger, he didn't do anything, just cursed:

"If I were a lonely soul returning home, you would be a wild ghost shaking a boat!"

Unexpectedly, the boatman laughed loudly:

"If it's a wild ghost, it would be happy too. It won't be bullied by bandits, and don't have to be forced by corvee or taxation."

"It's just that old brother, do you know that the officers, soldiers, thieves and bandits of Sakon have been here several times in turn. There are often villages being slaughtered, the bones cannot be condensed, and the soul cannot be detached. Not to mention that at night, it is this rainy day, and there are often whole villages. The ghosts are haunting."

He is meaningful.

"Brother, you haven't returned to your hometown for many years, so be careful."

These words were vicious, but the veteran calmed down instead. He sneered and returned the blanket and spirits to the Taoist.

"what?"

The veteran looked at the vast river with a suspicious expression, as if he had discovered something.

Then the boatman turned his head and looked around.

But this moment.

The veteran suddenly violent.

With a sound of "clang", the long knife came out of its sheath and slammed the boat house's front door.

But the boatman was also quite alert, and turned slightly away at the critical moment.

This terrible knife missed the cheek, landed on the shoulder, castrated, embedded in the shoulder blades.

The veteran drew his sword and wanted to kill again, but when he arrived at the boat house, he clung to the knife and did not dare to let go.

For a time.

Flesh and blood splashed in.

The two dangling old people actually worked hard.

But for a while.

After all, the veteran was much more decayed, and gradually couldn't help but cried out:

"The trail leader, come and help me, this person is a water bandit!"

However.

The man seemed to be shocked, still sitting there, from beginning to end, without moving his butt.

"Ugh!"

The veteran stomped anxiously, gritted his teeth, and gave up his long knife.

The body shrank and swelled, and in the blink of an eye, he ran into the boat's arms, a cold light flashed in his hand, and there was already an extra knife.

This veteran seemed to be about to die, but his methods of killing were terrifyingly familiar.

The start is accurate and ruthless.

The short knife hit the ribs and stabbed it in, and then stirred.

Suddenly, the boatman's body softened, there was a "creak" in his throat, and there was no sound.

The veteran staggered two steps and took a few heavy breaths.

"Don't panic on the trail, I'm not a bad guy."

After resting for a long time, he waved his hand, and the rusher explained.

"My hometown is not elsewhere, it's on the other side. There is a small county called'Xiaoshui' near me, and my home is in a nearby village."

"Therefore, I am familiar with this waterway. Where does it take so much time to cross the river? Obviously, the boatman deliberately circulated in the middle of the river through the fog, in order to plot something wrong."

He concluded.

"This person must be a water bandit!"

"I don't think so."

The veteran raised his head in surprise, but saw the Taoist pointing at the stern.

"If you don't believe me, turn around."

The veteran was full of suspicion when he heard that, he only thought that the Taoist was frightened by his violent and murderous murder, but now it seems that he is sitting on the sidelines more.

Too.

In this world, who walks alone with a sword and a sword, where is the easy one?

While he was wary of the Taoist, he looked sideways.

But at one glance, he was dumbfounded, with his hair standing on end.

The place at the stern was empty, and the body of the boatman was no longer visible. There were only two knives, one long and one short, falling into a puddle of muddy mud. The stench was unpleasant.

He joined the army when he was young, and he was old enough to return. A person who has been killed for a lifetime can definitely be sure that his own knife has actually pierced the key, and there will be no struggling at all.

But what about the corpse?

What you can see is only the thicker and thicker rain and fog, the long swaying lightly with the waves, and...

His eyes trembled.

A corner of a copper bell hanging from the handle of the ship.

A gust of wind came from nowhere.

"Jingle Bell."