Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Chadong Town fledgling

Yongsui Zhili Hall.Chadong. Thirty years of Guangxu (1904), the eighth day of August. Time flies, and it has been ninety-nine and eighty-one days since I followed my master to learn how to drive corpses.Today is the exam day for leaving the teacher, which is called "Tongfa Road" in our industry. If you pass the master's survey, you can leave the teacher to do corpse exorcism alone. According to the rules of "Zhu Youke", the master will arrange for the apprentice to drive the corpse alone on this day, and then follow and sneak to observe secretly to see if the apprentice can drive the corpse alone.

My master, Xiang Tianpu, in the area of ​​Chenzhou, Yongshun, Yuanzhou, and Qianzhou, is a senior figure in the business of expelling corpses.Because of his excellent skills in expelling corpses, he has never delayed the mourning family, and he has a magic power that reaches the sky, so he is called "Xiang Tianshi".He has many legendary stories, which are talked about by local folks. At the same time, one of my younger brothers, Daming Tian Gudao, from Yuanling family, took part in the entrance exam. He said he was a younger brother, but in fact he was ten years older than me.Because he entered the master's school a few days later than me, he was placed in the ranks of junior disciples.His original intention of learning how to drive corpses is very simple, that is to change the poverty-stricken situation of his family.His greatest ideal is to allow his parents to eat delicious white rice for every meal.

Tian Gudao is a child who grew up in bitter water. Ever since his mother crawled out of his belly, his naked body basically has no complete covering.The family is really poor, and the parents are sick all year round. It is said that the most valuable thing in the family, apart from an old and frail bitch, is a set of coarse clothes.This kind of clothes is usually reluctant to wear, and can only be worn when the family members take turns going out. Probably not covered up, with enough sunlight and fresh air, the bird under Tian Gudao's crotch thrived unrestrainedly, and it was unusually thick and majestic, which is unique in the local area.It's that gigantic toy that once gave Father Tian infinite comfort, imagining that such a robust utensil for his son would surely make great contributions to the great cause of reproduction, but he never imagined that it was this unparalleled majesty. things, which caused a catastrophe in the future.

At the beginning, Master passed Tian's house to ask for water, and when he saw the plight of Tian's family, he was moved with compassion.Tian Gudao's parents had also heard of the reputation of "Xiang Tianshi", so they boldly proposed the idea of ​​apprenticeship.Xiang Tianshi put clothes on Tian Gudao and led him out. Just the day before leaving for the exam, Master led us to Chadong via the waterway.Today is the auspicious day selected by the master, and the three masters and apprentices bathe and fast.The master opened the altar to offer sacrifices to the gods, with a pious and solemn expression, prayed to the patriarch, recited a mantra for enlightening the gods, drew a talisman with cinnabar, and then handed the talisman and the address of the funeral home to me on Hotan Gudao, and disappeared alone.

The Chadong where we settled is a very interesting place. It is the intersection of Hunan, Guizhou and Sichuan. , thus deriving the interesting geographical landscape of "a rooster crow resounds all over the three provinces".In this situation, I couldn't help coming to Shixing, and took the wolf flute cinnabar pen from my back. The wolf flute cinnabar pen is a portable utensil that is always with me. The pen is two feet long and the waist is three fingers thick.The pen holder is a hundred-year-old bamboo with Buddha belly. The knots are fine and moist, and there is a faint hint of Dai Cui in the brown. The internodes are short and swollen, like the belly of Maitreya Buddha, and like a stacked Arhat. It is extremely hard.The tip of the pen is made of the hair of the wolf's head. It is soft in its hardness, and there is a murderous look of a bully wolf in its softness.The inscription of the "Diamond Sutra" is engraved on the body of the pen. The characters are no bigger than a corn, and more than 5,000 words of scriptures are densely packed on the body of the pen, which can avoid darkness and eliminate evil.A head portrait of Confucius is engraved on the shaft, which is very conspicuous and matches my status as a scholar.There are seven holes in the body of the pen, in addition to the six sound holes, there is also a large hole at the tip of the pen to replace the end hole blocked by the tip of the pen.The wolf flute cinnabar pen has four unique features: dipped in cinnabar to draw Chenzhou spiritual talismans, the wolf hair brush can also be used to write poems and inscriptions on dragons and snakes, the hollow hole of the pen barrel can be used to play flute, and it can also be used as a magic weapon to suppress monsters and ghosts.

Seeing the poetic emotion in my eyes, Tian Gudao took off the wolf flute cinnabar pen from his back, and hurriedly wiped the door panel in front of me with his sleeve, his movements were very tacit.I dipped the cinnabar, brushed the pen on the door panel, and after a while, a verse was completed in one go, and then I recited it aloud: The distant mountains on both sides of the strait are pale, A river of clear water; Cuiyu holds the title of three provinces, Lin frightened the bird to fly away. "Xiucai, you are so sour!" Tian Gudao used to call me a scholar. Tian Gudao, who came out to see the world for the first time, was very excited. He seemed to have forgotten the nervousness of being a teacher. He stood on the stilted building where we stayed by the Youshui River, took out his fat thing from his crotch, and comfortably took a bath. Boy pee.The urine fell into the river in a parabolic shape, echoing with a crisp sound, and followed the river downstream from Hunan.

Tian Gudao grabbed the utensil and shook it, stuffed it into his crotch, and then said with a sense of accomplishment: "Grandma has a pickle, I urinate in three provinces, I'm afraid it's the best in the world!" "Grandma has a pickle "It's Tian Gudao's mantra.It is said that the pickles made by his grandma are very delicious, but the family is poor, and all the pickles made by grandma are sold for money, so it is rare for Tian Gudao to taste grandma's kimchi, and he can't help feeling a love-hate resentment in his heart. , then shouted catchy. I said, you are not the world's number one pee, but the world's number one bird!Tian Gudao said unconvinced, I will also write a doggerel:

Monkey King took a pee, Fall into the Chadonghua River; Reluctantly, the sky is far away and high, One bubble is divided into two floats. Not to mention, although this kid Tian Gudao can't read a few words that are as big as a basket, he can write doggerel well, at least it sounds catchy. After laughing for a while, they remembered Master's teaching not to blaspheme the gods. With solemn expressions, the two immediately set off for their destination in Guizhou. Because the master said that the exorcist should not make loud noises and laugh, on the road, there was a little silence.But Tian Gudao is a chatterbox, he can't hold back his words, and always finds something to say: "Xiucai, I am very puzzled, why do people have to rush back to their homeland after death?"

I couldn't stand his big mouth, so I replied: ""The Book of Rites·Tan ​​Gong" says: A gentleman says: "Let's be happy, let's be happy; let's not forget what's at the root." There is a saying in ancient times: "The fox dies." Zhengshouqiu, benevolence. Qu Yuan also said in "Nine Chapters Shejiang": "Birds fly back to their hometown, and foxes die must head the hill." Tian Gudao became a little anxious: "What's the first mound and the last mound, scholar, you don't want to make a fool of yourself, you'll make a fool of yourself, it's very sour. Just tell me what's the point!"

"It means that after a fox dies outside, it still knows how to turn its head towards the cave where it was born, expressing its desire to be buried in its hometown. What's more, people! As the saying goes, fallen leaves return to their roots!" "Isn't it very straightforward to say that, please stop talking about words in the future! I'm very surprised, how do you say that the fox knows where its birthplace is? It's really strange. No wonder you call it a cunning fox. It seems that the fox is really unusual. ... Xiucai, when was the first time in history that corpses were expelled, I'm afraid no one will know!"

"It was in ancient times. Chiyou, the ancestor of the Miao nationality, fought against the Yellow Emperor in the Yangtze River Basin. He was defeated, and the corpses were scattered all over the field. He used the technique of exorcising corpses and drove the dead brothers back to their hometown. "Historical Records: The Chronicle of the Five Emperors" records: Chiyou did not use the emperor's order to cause chaos ...The Yellow Emperor was the teacher of the princes, and he fought Chi You in the field of chasing deer..." "Look, it's coming again, please don't have nothing to do Chatting along the way, I didn't realize I had reached a place called Iron Gate Bar.Someone was crying on the side of the road, surrounded by a group of spectators, Tian Gudao was very curious, and also gathered around to watch the excitement.After a while, Tian Gudao ran over and told me that the sobbing man was a man dressed as a scholar. Hearing what Tian Gudao said, I was also puzzled, so I ran over to see what happened. It turned out that the sobbing man was a scholar from Songtao Zhili Office. This time he rushed to the provincial government to take part in the provincial examination. Unexpectedly, his package was stolen halfway, and all his silver and books were looted.Seeing his sad appearance, after questioning, he found out that his family is not well-off, and he had to borrow all his neighbors, relatives and friends to get together for the exam, but he didn't want to be robbed on the way.As a result, not only did he lose his fame, but what made him uncomfortable was that he no longer had the face to face his relatives and neighbors, so he stayed here all the time, relying on begging for a living, unwilling to go home. Listening to the sobbing scholar talking about rushing for the exam, I suddenly remembered that it is time for the scientific exam again.According to the regulations of the imperial court, the imperial examination is held every three years.The last scientific examination was passed last year, that is, in the 29th year of Guangxu. Based on this calculation, it should not be held again until the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906).But this year, when Empress Dowager Cixi's 70th birthday is celebrated, the Longevity Day will be celebrated together, and Jiachen Enke will be specially opened. This is undoubtedly great news for scholars.Scholars from all over the country have already or are rushing to various tribute houses, and began to outline their career dreams. At this time, I, like thousands of scholars, was running on the way to the exam.It's just that they were on their way to the Tribute Academy for the scientific examination, but I was on the way to drive the corpse out of the teacher for the examination.The same is rushing for the exam, but the meaning is very different. It is a world of difference, which is really a great mockery to me. Because I still didn't have enough money to go to Changsha to take part in the provincial examination, I can only sigh deeply when I meet Enke, who was added this year.In this way, this is the second time I have missed the provincial examination.At the moment, I couldn't help but feel sad, and secretly urged myself to leave the school and make money independently, so that I can go to Changsha Prefecture for scientific research next year. Seeing that poor Songtao scholar, I felt a bit of pity in my heart. It can be said that we are the same people who have fallen in the end of the world, so we feel the pain of pity for each other.So, I took out the few coins I had from my pocket and gave them to Songtao Xiucai, telling him to go back early to study hard and take the scientific examination next year.When Songtao Xiucai saw that I was dressed in a blue cloth shirt, my hair was tied up with a green scarf, and I was also dressed as a scholar, he nodded in agreement.Seeing that I donated money, several people around me also took out paper money to support. Say goodbye to that scholar, and we continue on our way. "Senior brother, you gave all the money you had to the robbed Songtao scholar, and I don't have much money on me, so we have to tighten our belts." "It doesn't matter. We are not rich young masters. We all come from hard backgrounds, so we can handle it." "I'm afraid you donated to the wrong person, why do I feel that Songtao Xiucai is a liar!" "No way!" "The rivers and lakes are dangerous. There are so many scammers nowadays, and their acting skills are excellent. A nerd like you who only reads sage books will not be able to see it!" "Probably not, you treat the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. I give you a word: don't do good because it's small, don't do evil because it's small!" "You don't believe me, right? Then let's make a bet, bet one hundred coins, what do you think? If we meet this Songtao man pretending to be pitiful next time, then he must be a liar!" Tian Gudao is a gambler, he will bet on everything, and he is very persistent, stubborn and hard-working, and will never give up until he achieves his goal.I couldn't bear his entanglement, so I agreed. Anyway, the bet was too false, it was a matter of nothing, and the possibility of meeting that Songtao scholar again was almost impossible. "Remember it well, it's one hundred coins, don't fall back on your debt then!" Tian Gudao said with an expression of sure victory. After trekking all the way, I arrived at Xi County, Tongren Prefecture (now Wanshan Special District) within a few days. According to the contact information provided by Master, I found the God of Joy to catch up with.In our line of work, we call the corpse to be expelled the god of joy, which means the homonym of the dead, so that others will not feel fear when they hear it. We are chasing a young couple this time. The man's surname is Tian and the woman's surname is Li.Although the two are still young, they have accumulated grievances. The male deceased, named Tian, ​​was born in Huangsiqiao, Zhili District, Fenghuang. He was a teacher of Xi County, Tongren Prefecture, Guizhou Province before his death, and the county magistrate of Xixi County was his cousin.This Master Tian looks mediocre, but he married a stunning wife.It is said that Mr. Tian once redressed a villager surnamed Li, but the old man had nothing to repay, so he betrothed his beloved daughter to him.Ms. Li is as beautiful as a flower, and is known as the number one beauty in Shengxi County. Master Tian got this good fortune, and I don't know how many people died of envy.According to the legend in the market, when Ms. Li went out on the street, all the men were stunned, as if time had stood still;Such a beauty naturally attracts the covetousness of countless people. At that time, the prefect of Tongren was a prostitute who was greedy for women. Over a hundred women were raped by him, either married or raped, or had an affair or took over. .The magistrate met Ms. Li once, and suddenly had evil thoughts, wanting to take it for himself, but he didn't know that Ms. Li was a fierce woman, and she would not be moved by threats or temptations. Once, the magistrate came to Xingxi County for inspection, excused Mr. Tian and raped his wife.Ms. Li swallowed gold and died of hatred after writing "Zhaoxue for my slave family" in blood on the wall of her house.After Master Tian knew the reason, he went to the magistrate with a butcher's knife and tried his best, but was held down by the magistrate's men, and was forcibly poured with poisoned wine, and died immediately.The county magistrate of Xingxi knew that his cousin had wronged Guantian, but in order to keep his head black, he did not dare to offend his superiors, so he hastily closed the case with "eating poisoning".