Chapter 18 Section VII

The long night passed, and the sky gradually grew brighter. Mrs. Kui cooked the rice herself and made rice balls.Ah Liu also wanted to help, but his hands kept shaking and his feet couldn't stand firmly, so he couldn't help.In the end, Mrs. Kui finished it neatly by herself, even the breakfast for the group of men and women was prepared by the lady. "You must strengthen your body. Come on, treat it as medicine, take at least one." Under the persuasion of his wife, Ah Liu managed to eat a rice ball.I don't know the taste of food.Thinking that A Dao didn't know if there was anything to eat, he couldn't help feeling sad, and almost swallowed the second half of the rice ball with tears.

When the morning glow added color to the eastern sky, Sun Ba arrived quietly.The people in the room dared not take a breath so that he could visit boldly. "Are you ready? Where's Xing?" Ah Liu wrung his hands and said: "Things... are getting a little weird." "Strange? What's wrong?" Sun Ba raised his eyebrows. "Could it be that Arioka came running?" "No, that's not the case." Ah Liu anxiously looked back at the back door. "Sun Ba, let me tell you, there has been a terrible rumor in this house from the past." Ah Liu hastily told the story of the Thief Demon living in this house.

"So what?" Sun Ba was very impatient. "That's why madam thinks that A Dao's disappearance is caused by the Thief!" Ah Liu clenched his fists and stamped his feet anxiously.This is not acting, she can't wait to snatch A Dao back immediately, beat Sun Ba, goug his eyeballs, pull out his tongue, she is so anxious that she can't rest. "Then, last night, Madam found a prayer teacher who was rumored to be very sage, and started to practice in the middle of the night. She wanted to summon the thief demon to drive it away, and said that A Dao would come back safely."

But Sun Ba rolled his eyes and said: "Since this is the case, the room must be noisy, right? Isn't that just right, you can take advantage of the gap to escape." "But to summon Thief Demon, Madam was afraid that something would happen to Ah Xing, so she took the child into her room and locked it in the closet! So I couldn't bring the child out." With a puff, Sun Ba let out a big breath. "What are you doing? It's so ridiculous. What kind of thief devil is made up, how could there be such a monster!" "That's right." Ah Liu agreed, but kept cursing in his heart: Why not?Right here, right in front of me.Isn't that you?You are a true robber!

"How did this happen..." Facing Sun Ba who was suffering from a headache, Ah Liu begged obsessively: "Please, help bring Axing out. I'm not as flexible as you, and I will definitely be discovered immediately. I have to go first." "Hey, you want to go first?" "I'll go first, wait for you to bring out Xing, okay?" Sun Ba didn't seem to be able to see how sincere Ah Liu was, so he hesitated for a while. "Is this really the case?" "Well, of course. Where should I wait for you? Instead of finding a random place to meet up, it's better to just make an appointment with A Dao. If you split up, others will pay less attention. Now, can you? Where is A Dao?"

Sun Ba looked into Ah Liu's eyes, trying to see a clue.Ah Liu prayed that he would not reveal his sincerity, and hoped that he could lie from the bottom of his heart. "That's right, it's better this way." Sun Ba responded.Ah Liu was so happy that he almost fainted. "Ah Xing is in the closet of the innermost room. Where is A Dao?" She grabbed Sun Ba's sleeve and asked, he lowered his voice and said quickly in Ah Liu's ear: "Beside a bridge called Yuanqiao in Xiangdao, there is a bathhouse called Dangtang. I left it on the second floor there. When I came out, I was still fast asleep."

Next to the Xiangdaoyuan Bridge, on the second floor of Dangtang.Ah Liu recited it, keep it in mind. "Then I'll go right away!" "Where's your luggage?" Ah Liu flicked his sleeve vigorously, trying to hit Sun Ba. "Death! I want to hide a debt of fifty taels! Isn't it enough for people to get out? What's missing, will you buy it for me in the future?" Sun Ba's whole body suddenly melted like spring and snow. "Of course, leave it to me!" "Be careful, just go in through that back door." Sun Ba ran towards the back door staggeringly, with his back to the door in a playful manner, and leaned against the wall. After listening carefully to the movement inside, he slowly opened the door and sneaked in.Without closing the door, he disappeared.

Ah Liu gulped down his saliva. Swish!The back door was closed. "Liu, Liu." Turning around following the cry, a young man poked his head out from behind the hedge. "I heard, Mukoshima's soup, right?" "yes!" "I'm Shesong from my own fan. I've heard everything from Master Jiubei. I'll just make a trip, please don't worry." Jiubei's arrangement is really tight.Ah Liu bowed deeply and said, "Please do everything!" After She Song left quickly, Ah Liu turned to the back door. (This is a wonderful show, don't miss it.)

Since Mrs. Kui said so, of course I have to take a look.Ah Liu pursed his mouth and went straight to the back door. Ah Liu slipped into the house quietly, and immediately noticed a fishy smell.what is this?It's like the smell of leftover fish rotten. Ah Liu tiptoed across the dirt, climbed up to the kitchen, and hid in a corner of the corridor.The rain-sliding door was still closed, and it should have been dark inside, but the flickering yellow light of the candles in the room at the end of the corridor brought some light to the corridor. Boom! There was a sound, and there was a vibration from the soles of the feet.Ah Liu involuntarily pressed his chest, a heart almost popped out of his mouth.

Boom!Boom!Boom! Ah Liu poked his head out in shock and fear, and saw an unbelievable scene. A huge black figure with horns on its head was exactly like the monster seen in the dream, and the monster was at the end of the corridor. Boom!My feet are numb.It was the sound of footsteps, the walking footsteps of the monster. The footsteps of the Thief Demon. Then a hoarse, muffled sound shook the walls and ceiling. "Who is calling me?" Is the Thief Demon talking? "Who woke me up?" Clang, clang, clang!The bell rang, the clothes rubbed violently, and then a cold female voice began to chant.is a mantra.

"Om, Maka, Sola, Wa, Gita, Gita, Sang, Ha, Kong, Ohliea, Solaia, I am the descendant of the ghost priestess..." The thief's shadow disappeared from the corridor and entered the room.Ah Liu walked forward in the corridor as if crawling, clenched his trembling jaw tightly, froze for a long time, and then stretched his neck to look into the room. Candles were lit all over the room.In the candlelight, the beautiful woman who gave off a strange fragrance last night was dressed in white, holding a long piece of cloth with countless bells in her hands, and dancing with her hands and feet.Jump and continue chanting the mantra. "Om, Maka, Sola, Wa, the nameless ones, come here at your command! I am the descendant of the ghost priestess..." "Why did you wake me up?" Ah Liu suddenly looked up at the ceiling.Thief Demon's huge shadow had somehow attached to the corner of the ceiling in the room, like a huge spider. "Why did you call me?" The sound of the beautiful woman in white shirt chanting the mantra stopped abruptly, she shook the bell and waved the cloth, looked up at the shadow on the ceiling, and bowed deeply. "The one who is pursued by the jailer of the devil of the underworld, the invisible one who is standing in the dark and blocking the way, now I ask you. I beg to return the young spirit you plundered. What you want is the soul without dirt, but the soul is still there. Belonging to the human world, I want to punish the rudeness of entering my shadow by mistake, and looting and leaving is a foolish act that makes all living beings blindly frightened." The shadows on the ceiling trembled. "This house is the dwelling place of this demon, and anyone who trespasses will be eaten without mercy." Really?Ah Liu held his breath until he moaned and panted in pain, only to realize that he had forgotten to breathe. This is the Thief Demon—it turns out that there really is a Thief Demon, and it really lives in this house. "Could it be that the invisible person who is standing in the bottom of the Yellow River and blocking the way has forgotten the covenant you swore to obey the Pure Land of Amitabha?" The woman in white chanted loudly: "You are not a shadow that endangers this place, but someone who seeks light for this place. According to the ancient teachings, where should you end up? Why do you deviate from the path of the Pure Land? Why do you hesitate to go astray?" Why is there a sound like blowing bubbles?Ah Liu was feeling strange, only to find that Sun Ba had collapsed beside the candlelight circle surrounding the girl in white. I saw him open his mouth. "I'm hesitant," the black shadow on the head was still trembling slightly, "it's because the house smells of blood and the spirit of my compatriots." Trembling, trembling.Ah Liu looked up, and finally understood that it was because the monster was laughing. "Where the demon family is, that is where I rest and inhabit. This bloody blood is an ironclad proof of our compatriots." The beauty in white showed a shocked expression.Clang!Shake the bell. "Since this is the case, he has also strayed into the way of the devil and strayed into the wrong way, which is a proof of his negligence. Those who block the way are invisible, and those who should be plundered are your compatriots. We who have not yet arrived at the underworld and are unable to investigate the six ways, in this way Flesh and blood, those who want to save the road from demons and obstacles can't get it. I beg you to use your strength to cut off this wrong road, eliminate disasters and solve difficulties, and quickly return to the place where the shadow should be!" Seeing the shadow of the monster on the ceiling, Ah Liu seemed to lean out suddenly. "That being the case, this is mine." The clawed hand stretched out longer and longer, until Sun Ba collapsed in the room and trembled all the time. "Would you give this shadow to our compatriots who are addicted to human blood?" "Of course!" the beauty's voice sounded awe-inspiring. "Give the blood of this murderer to the leader of the ghosts and Taoists!" Sun Ba yelled and tried to escape.He was so frightened that he couldn't exert any strength, and desperately grabbed the tatami and backed away.A huge black shadow caught up to his useless appearance and enveloped him. "It's not me, it's not me! I'm not a murderer!" "Struggling is useless! People of unknown origin!" The beauty turned her head and pointed at Sun Ba. "You have nowhere to escape! Give the unclean blood soaked in your soul to the ghosts!" At this time, Ah Liu saw it.The black shadow of Thief Demon that was originally in the corner of the ceiling landed lightly in the room.It was so large that it had to be looked up, and the yellow eyes popped open under the horns that protruded from the top of its head. "Help!" Sun Bahun's cry made Ah Liu cover his ears with his hands. "This medicine is too heavy." Jiubei smiled sarcastically.Mrs. Kui is tasting the freshly brewed tea. All are in the lady's room.After the performance of the big play, the room that used to be the stage has been tidied up. Incense is burned everywhere in the house, but there is still a fishy smell. "Let that man go crazy, it must be very difficult for Fanya to handle the case." Mrs. Aoi showed a satisfied smile at Jiubei's words. "That's good too, Jiubingwei, on the contrary, it's more at ease. Sun Ba can no longer do evil." A Xing and A Dao are in the next room, sleeping affectionately in the same bunk.In this way, Ah Dao will definitely catch Ah Xing's cold, but the two don't want to separate, and Ah Liu can't help it.Ah Liu sat on the open threshold of Tang Zhimen, looking at Madam for a while, and A Dao and the others for a while. "However, I also hope that he can wake up his mind a little bit, and take out the crime of beating the vegetable seller half to death and killing Xinji." Those incredible men and women have left here. In the end, of course, it was all a big show, a juggling act.And those men and women are said to be good players. "Those six people used to be troupes performing tricks and illusions, and they are quite famous in the Eastern and Western countries." Mrs. Kui told Ah Liu. "The best is the large-scale illusion created by using a slide projector and a mechanism doll, but the bad thing is that the trick is too clever, and the government is watching it, and I can no longer perform in Edo City to make money. But after seeing it, the master said, Appreciate their brilliant techniques and have been their backing for many years. Those people are grateful for the master's kindness, so even though the matter is so urgent this time, they are willing to take over." Magic and illusion.It turns out that the black shadow of the Thief Demon was also made?Even after hearing what Madam said, Ah Liu was still dubious.From her point of view, it was really the appearance of the thief demon, and the alien monster really descended from the underworld, and took away Sun Ba, who was doing evil in the world, as "our compatriots". Moreover, the alien monster is exactly the same as the Robber Demon that appeared in Ah Liumeng. "I will take care of the next thing." Jiubingwei said, smiling at Ah Liu. "Liu, you don't have to worry anymore." "Ah Liu seems to be in a trance." Mrs. Kui smiled. "You don't think it's pitiful for Sun Ba to end up like that?" "Where, how could I." Ah Liu shook his head quickly. "It's just that it's so realistic that I wholeheartedly believe that Thief Demon really came." "Oh, there is also someone who took too much medicine here! The answer to the mystery has been revealed, and he is still unable to wake up from his dream." Someone called the door from behind, and the voice was the son of the vegetable seller.Ah Liu wanted to get up and answer the door, but Jiubei stopped her. "Let me come. Ah Liu will stay here. You still don't want to leave the child for a moment, do you?" As soon as Jiubei left, Mrs. Kui put down her teacup and turned to Ah Liu. "Honestly... Liu, are you okay?" "I, I'm fine." Ah Liu corrected his posture. "Thank you Madam. No matter how much I thank you, it's not enough to repay Madam's great kindness." Ah Liu bowed down, but Mrs. Kui didn't say anything.After a long time, Ah Liu raised his head, and Madam was looking at the sleeping faces of Ah Xing and A Dao. "Don't worry about this little thing. Thanks to you and these two children, I have a very happy life." "But... these arrangements must have cost Madam a lot of effort and money." "More or less. However, I have enough money to sell it, and the master is the same. You don't have to feel indebted." "Besides," the lady smiled, "a long time ago, the theater troupe promised to do me a favor. Although the method is different from this time, it's much better than this." "Helping Madam?" "Yes. I wish I could fool someone with that illusion." Madam spoke easily, but her eyes suddenly became wet.Ah Liu didn't miss that look. "Ah Liu, there is really no Thief Demon in this room. What you saw today is fake, so you can stay at ease as usual." To be honest, Yi'a Liu was in a state of mind at the time, it was difficult to answer "yes" immediately.Her heart... yes, was trembling like that ghostly figure. So, she just nodded silently. "Really, I promise, nothing could be more certain than that." Mrs. Kui murmured as if she was talking to herself. "There will be no scary monsters here, because there are more terrifying things than monsters." "Eh?" Ah Liu looked at Madam. "lady?" "Hehehe." Madam pursed her lips and smiled, then put her palms around her mouth as if confiding a secret: "Ah Liu, I am a ghost." "Madam is... a ghost?" "Yes. And," Madam hesitated, looked at the sleeping faces of A Xing and A Dao again, and continued in a low voice: "I'm worse than Thief Demon, I'm a mother who abandoned her child." Ah Liu didn't dare to say anything, and thought it best to pretend that he didn't hear this sentence.Madam will regret telling Ah Liu about this in the future—— Ah Liu thought so in his heart.On the other hand, deep down in his heart, he felt uneasy. ghost.A mother who abandoned her child. Mrs. Kui's lonely present and her unknown past. Kyubei is back. "Ah Liu, the vegetable seller woke up and saved his life. Mrs. Kui, it looks like you're all right." "Ah, that would be wonderful." After looking at the smiling lady and nodding, Ah Liu stroked his chest.Ah, that's great.That's really the end of the matter. "Ma'am, what would you like to eat tonight?" Ah Liu asked, trying to smile. "Ah Liu will prepare more Madam's favorite food." "Oh, really. Then I'll treat you!" "By the way, the master should come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Madam said, because the master has been away for a while. The master must have made this arrangement on purpose, and didn't come until Sun Ba's matter was resolved.Ah Liu felt deeply sorry.It's over, though, and everything is back to normal. Yes, back to normal.The madam's past and the hidden secrets that people don't want to know are beyond Ah Liu's ability to intervene. No matter how sad and disturbed the heart is...