Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 509: Death (Two Chapters in One)

"what?"

Looking at the line of words above, Xiao Ran looked up at the closed door in front of him with surprise.

"Isn't it... so straightforward? You didn't even let me in for a cup of tea?"

Although the way had been pointed out to him, Xiao Ran still felt like he was being watched for thieves.

But anyway, there is finally a direction.

Taking two steps back and bowing towards the gate, Xiao Ran turned around and went down the mountain towards Tai'an Town.

The town of Tai'an, also called the ancient town of Tai'an, is just behind the Qingcheng Mountain. One needs to buy a ticket to the back mountain to enter, but Xiao Ran didn't care about that. His figure was like a ghost, climbing over mountains and ridges, jumping over walls, and in less than ten minutes he had entered the gate.

As for tickets, he didn't see a ticket office anyway.

It is now past nine o'clock in the evening, and the ancient town is actually bustling with snacks and barbecues on both sides of the street, and all kinds of bacon and sausages are available at affordable prices.

A particularly large sausage cost only ten yuan. Xiao Ran bought two and followed the crowd while eating.

"If you want to find Plum Blossom Manor, go to Tai'an Town. Could it be that Plum Blossom Manor is hidden in Tai'an Town?"

Looking at the bustling streets, Xiao Ran couldn't help but wonder where Plum Blossom Manor could be hidden.

As he walked, Xiao Ran stopped and looked up. In front of him was a B&B with a small door. Compared with other B&Bs around, this B&B was obviously a bit simple. To put it nicely, it maintained the simplicity of folk customs. To put it bluntly, it was just a sign hanging on the door of a home.

Xiao Ran was not a person who was greedy for pleasure, but when he saw such a good bargain in this B&B, he just glanced at it and passed by. But when Xiao Ran was about to walk to the door, he moved his ears and heard someone humming a little tune in the yard.

There is no plum blossom in this little song, but every line mentions plum blossom.

Xiao Ran squinted his eyes and looked inside the door. There was an old man sitting in the yard, holding a child of about two years old in his arms. He was humming a tune and patting the child gently, trying to coax the child to sleep.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran's heart moved. He had searched the Internet for information about Meihua Manor but couldn't find any. He was afraid that it had long been buried in the ruins of history. However, the local elders here should have heard something about it.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran walked into the door and said softly, "Hello, I want to stay here."

The old man waved his hand gently, motioning Xiao Ran to go inside.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran lightened his footsteps and walked in.

Inside the door was an old lady sitting on a chair, sewing a diaper for her grandson. When she saw Xiao Ran coming in, she was stunned at first, then realized something and quickly stood up and said, "Are you here to stay?"

"Yes, accommodation, are there any rooms?"

"Yes, yes."

The old lady put down her needlework and took Xiao Ran upstairs.

This is an old house. The upper floor has wooden beams and a carefully renovated attic, which obviously showed the great care taken by the two elderly people.

The room is not big, only about 30 square meters, but it is very warmly decorated, with a full set of wooden furniture, a double bed, and a terrace overlooking the street ahead.

"The price is ..."

"150 yuan a day. If you stay longer, we can give you a discount."

"Well, I like the environment very much. I plan to stay here for about a week."

Xiao Ran walked to the terrace and saw an old man in the yard walking back and forth, humming a song while holding his grandson in his arms.

"Auntie, the tune that Grandpa is humming is quite special. What is the origin of this tune?"

Hearing Xiao Ran's question, the old lady couldn't help but laugh: "What's the origin of this? These are all nursery rhymes we all had when we were little."

"There were some when we were little? That means they were handed down from the past. There is no mention of plum blossoms in every line of the song, but every line is about plum blossoms. Is there a plum blossom forest nearby?"

“I don’t know…”

The old lady thought for a while after hearing this and shook her head: "I really don't know."

"It's okay, I was just asking."

Xiao Ran didn't ask any further questions. He quickly paid the rent and settled down here temporarily.

The next morning, Xiao Ran went out early.

This time, Xiao Ran came to the gate of Qingcheng Mountain again, bought a ticket obediently, and followed the tourists up the mountain. He didn't expect to get any news here this time, but since he was here, it would be a pity if he didn't come in and take a look at this Taoist's first cave.

You know, in ancient times, if you were an outsider and wanted to come to the Taoist ancestral temple, I'm afraid they wouldn't even open the door for you.

Who knows, seeing that you are full of evil spirit, they might even treat you as a demon and kill you on the spot.

Now, for only eighty yuan, you can walk into the Taoist ancestral temple and visit it at will. It is really a great deal.

Although Mount Qingcheng is not as majestic as the Five Great Mountains, it has winding paths, is surrounded by vegetation, flowers and rocks, and has a different scenery at every step on the bluestone paved road, making it better than a fairyland on earth.

There are two routes to go up the mountain. One is to hike all the way up from Tianren Pavilion, and the other is to take the cable car directly to Shangqing Palace.

Xiao Ran of course chose the former. He had enough physical strength to walk for a long time without feeling tired. Instead, he could take this opportunity to take a good look at this paradise.

In fact, this place is no different from other tourist attractions during the day.

From time to time, you can see small shops on the mountain, selling food and drinks, bracelets, jade and all kinds of things, but it is undeniable that these Taoist temple buildings are perfectly integrated with the surrounding mountains and forests. The vicissitudes of time highlight a kind of beauty and heaviness that cannot be imitated in any way.

When Xiao Ran arrived at the gate of Shangqing Palace, his mood was completely different from that night.

Xiao Ran looked up and saw two thousand-year-old ginkgo trees standing in front of the palace gate, echoing the gate behind it. They were solemn and majestic, but also in accordance with the laws of nature, which made him a little dazed for a moment.

Xiao Ran walked into Shangqing Palace, took a tour inside and then came out.

He neither met the little Taoist priest who was waiting for him last night, nor did he meet any immortal Taoist priest to give him guidance.

Xiao Ran didn't even find the statues of the Three Pure Ones and the gods of the eight directions enshrined here magical.

It feels like a tourist attraction, it couldn't be more ordinary.

But what’s interesting is that after Xiao Ran came out of Shangqing Palace, he looked back and saw that the Shangqing Palace was shrouded in a hazy white mist. Every brick, tile, stone and blade of grass made Xiao Ran feel a hint of an indescribable divinity.

"Is this what they mean by "only looking from a distance and not close at hand?"

Xiao Ran couldn't figure out the reason behind it. After thinking about it for a while, he decided not to think about it anymore and turned around to go down the mountain.

When they returned to the B&B, they saw the elderly couple in the yard feeding porridge to their child. When they saw Xiao Ran coming back, the elderly asked with a smile, "Did you go to the front mountain? How did you feel?"

"It's OK, but that's not the place I'm looking for."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, the old man couldn't help laughing: "Then where are you looking for? Apart from Qingcheng Mountain, there are no other fun places here."

Xiao Ran did not answer the old man, but sat aside and asked: "Uncle, the song you sang last night, is it something you learned when you were a child?"

"Oh, yes, everyone here can sing it, and it seems like they have been able to sing since they were young."

"Well, is there a place like a plum blossom forest nearby?"

"There are a few plum trees, but I've never heard of Meilin." The old man thought for a long time and never thought of the existence of a place called Meilin.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran didn't ask any more questions. After saying thank you, he went back to his room and lay down.

Then he took out the letter from last night and fell into deep thought for a moment.

Since it was to remind myself that I came to the ancient town of Tai'an, why is there no information about Meihuazhuang in the town?

Xiao Ran was thinking about it.

Suddenly, I felt something moving beside my ear and heard crying coming from downstairs.

Xiao Ran stood up and walked to the terrace, only to see a young man kneeling on the ground outside the door, crying loudly with the support of two old people.

After a while, he walked out of the door with the help of two old people. Before walking out the door, he turned back and knelt in front of the door and kowtowed, and then ran to the next house.

Still repeating like this...

"Uncle, what was that just now?"

Xiao Ran walked downstairs, looked at the young man who had just walked out of the neighbor's house, and asked the old man curiously.

"His father passed away a few days ago, and we old neighbors helped to clean up the mess. His son came back and went door to door to express our gratitude."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Xiao Ran suddenly understood.

At this time, the old lady next to her suddenly remembered something: "Oh, there will be a funeral tomorrow, but Old Zhengzhou is not at home. No one in the village knows about the funeral."

"Oh no, I am such a pig-head, how could I have completely forgotten this matter?"

The old man slapped his head, his face full of annoyance.

"Uncle, I can help you with this matter." At this time, Xiao Ran suddenly said, "My family is in this business, and I am familiar with the rules. I just don't know if there are any taboos here."

"What? You know the rules of this business?"

"Well, I can't say I understand everything, but I know four or eight sentences."

Seeing Xiao Ran could say this sentence, the old man knew that the young man in front of him was not joking, and he was relieved immediately. He said to Xiao Ran: "Okay, little brother, the real person does not show his face. I feel relieved to hear your words. I just don't know your price..."

"It's just a favor. It's just a token of the host's intention. The price is not important."

The old man gave a thumbs up and pulled Xiao Ran to thank him repeatedly.

In fact, Xiao Ran did this for a purpose. He wanted to use the funeral to see if there would be other clues in the town.

After all, Meihua Manor itself is a shady business. Maybe, when it comes to funerals, we can find some clues from some local customs.

"Come on, come on, come with me to this doll's house, meet her, and by the way, tell you about the rules here."

The old man pulled Xiao Ran and walked out.

When Xiao Ran went down the mountain, it was already late. By the time he arrived at the family's doorstep, it had already darkened.

This house is just a humble house. It has not been converted into a homestay like other villagers, mainly because the environment is too messy and difficult to clean.

The door was open and the light inside was dim.

On the way, the old man had already told Xiao Ran some basic information.

The family's surname is Hao, and everyone usually calls them Hao Laonuo.

Hey, you can tell what the people in this village are like by listening to their nicknames.

Hao Laonuo, just by hearing this nickname you know that this person is not a good person, but he is a fellow villager, and some of them are old people who grew up together with him. No matter how bad he is, once he dies, the matter is over.

The person who came today was the son of Hao Laonuo. This kid is a good guy and he is very hardworking. He didn't learn to be as mean as his father. With the financial support from the village, he was admitted to university and found a good job. He is not at home on weekdays and just gives money to his father every now and then.

About four days ago, people got up early in the morning and saw that the door of Hao Laonuo's house was open. Someone passing by their house saw Hao Laonuo hanged on the beam.

That scene, in the old man's words, was so scary.

They didn't know why Mr. Hao suddenly committed suicide, so they could only put the body down and notify his son to come back.

Because they are local villagers and have their own private plots, they can be buried in accordance with national regulations, so the bodies have not been taken away but are kept at home.

But because he committed suicide, the village could not allow him to be buried in the ancestral tomb. He could only be buried in another remote forest, and no tombstone was allowed to be erected.

This is because his son is a talented person from the village. Otherwise, if it were someone else, he would be thrown into the crematorium directly.

As he walked into the courtyard gate, Xiao Ran could smell the odor of a corpse from afar. It was obvious that the body had begun to rot.

Outside the house, there were several elderly people sitting, all of them were relatives of Laonuo Hao. They sat at the door and chatted with each other about family matters.

"Hao boy!"

The old man walked in and shouted, then he couldn't help pinching his nose and took two steps back.

After a while, the young man came out from the inner room.

The old man roughly explained the matter to the other party.

The young man looked at Xiao Ran in confusion, as if he didn't quite believe it. After all, in his impression, the emcee was never as young as Xiao Ran.

"Hello, my last name is Xiao, and my family is in this business. I know all the rules. When I came here, the old man also told me about our local customs. My uncle is in mourning, so it's not easy to make a big fuss. We should keep everything simple. Let's start with some simple arrangements tonight and set off at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."

Seeing how clearly Xiao Ran spoke, although the young man still had some doubts in his heart, he basically believed it.

"Okay, Xiao... Brother Xiao, thank you. My name is Hao Zhaowen, you can just call me Zhaowen."

"You don't have to be so polite. Is uncle in this room? Do you mind if I show him to you?"

Perhaps out of professional habit, Xiao Ran always remembers to check the corpses.

The young man didn't know what this meant, but seeing that Xiao Ran was not afraid, he nodded.

The weather is very cool now, and we are in the mountains, so the corpse is not decaying that quickly, but the smell is already very strong.

Xiao Ran lifted the door curtain, and the smell came out from inside. Even the old man who came with him did not go inside, but instead took two steps back.

Seeing that Xiao Ran didn't react to the smell at all, he couldn't help but give a thumbs up and said to the elderly people around him: "This... is called professionalism."

Xiao Ran walked into the room and saw an old man lying on the bed.

Xiao Ran checked and found that it was indeed suicide by hanging.

As for the reason, Xiao Ran didn't want to investigate. After all, the death of an old coward had nothing to do with him.

After walking out of the door, Xiao Ran came to the yard, washed his hands, and then said, "My uncle is in mourning, and some places need to be decorated. Do you have any white cloth at home?"

"Yes, I have prepared everything." Hao Zhaowen nodded. When he came back, he had already bought all the things that could be used and not used.

White cloth, mourning clothes, gold foil ingots, in short, there is everything.

Things will be much simpler if you have everything.

Xiao Ran started to pull Hao Zhaowen to decorate the house.

Some of the elderly people helped out, while others just sat on chairs and watched.

By the time all these messy things were almost arranged, the old people had already left and gone home.

Hao Zhaowen set up a table outside, ordered some takeout and beer, and asked Xiao Ran to sit down and eat something before going back.

Xiao Ran also avoided these things, so he sat down and started eating and drinking.

"Brother Xiao, you don't look that old, how come... you know so much? Well... I'm just curious, nothing else."

Hao Zhaowen poured Xiao Ran a glass of wine and asked curiously.

"There's nothing strange about it. My family is in this business and I've been helping out at home since I was a kid. There's nothing strange about these tricks."

Xiao Ran said casually.

"So that's it."

Hao Zhaowen suddenly realized what was going on. He then glanced at the cloth strips arranged around him, hesitated for a while, and said, "Brother Xiao, my father passed away suddenly, I...I..."

As he was speaking, Hao Zhaowen's eyes suddenly turned red and his voice became choked: "Brother, it's my fault. My father lost money gambling that night and asked me for money over the phone. I scolded him. I really didn't expect...ah..."

Hao Zhaowen burst into tears. Although his father was a bad person, he was always stealing and cheating, and his reputation in the village was even worse than that of a thief.

Hao Zhaowen himself despised his father and never treated him kindly.

This is also the reason why he studies hard and wants to get out of here.

But no matter how far he went, Hao Zhaowen was still thinking about his father. He called him a waste and trash, but after hanging up the phone, he felt bad.

When Hao Zhaowen learned that his father had committed suicide, he felt like a hole was dug out in his heart.

He took a sip of wine and wiped the tears from his face: "My father... I remember when I was a child, the weather was very cold. My father went out early to the market to buy me a meat pancake. He was afraid that the pancake would be cold and not tasty, so he stuffed the pancake into his arms, and finally a blister appeared on his chest."

When talking about the past, Hao Zhaowen's emotions gradually began to get out of control.

His father was trash in the eyes of the villagers, but Hao Zhaowen knew that his father had never been bad to him.

He just has no ability and no ambition, but he has never treated himself badly.

When he learned that his father had committed suicide, Hao Zhaowen felt only regret and hated himself for taking out all his anger on his father that night.

Thinking of this, Hao Zhaowen burst into tears. His wailing could be heard by several neighbors in the distance, who all shook their heads and sighed.

Xiao Ran did not try to persuade her. At this moment, it would be better for her to cry it out. If she kept it in her heart, she would inevitably get sick.

After a burst of crying, Hao Zhaowen finally calmed down and sat on a chair to catch his breath. Realizing that he had lost his composure, he raised his head and said, "Brother, I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay, I understand."

Xiao Ran raised his beer bottle and clinked it with Hao Zhaowen's. After they both drank a gulp of beer, Hao Zhaowen said, "Brother, although this may not sound nice, I just want to make my father's death more peaceful. I checked online, and people who hanged themselves have a lot of resentment and are in more pain when they go to hell. I...I..."

Hao Zhaowen's words were incoherent at first, but fortunately Xiao Ran had seen a lot of this kind of thing and could understand what Hao Zhaowen meant: "I understand what you mean, come on."

Xiao Ran stood up and walked into the house with Hao Zhaowen.

Came to the body of Hao Laonuo.

"Actually, this is a simple matter. If you feel guilty towards your father, then you can have a good talk with him. I will make a paper man for you and let your father's soul rest on the man. Your father will be able to hear everything you say. Are you willing to give it a try?"

In the Zhou family's paper art, there is a technique called paper man summoning souls, which can draw the soul out of the corpse and put it on the body of a paper man, which can be used just right.

"Really?"

Hao Zhaowen's eyes lit up and he looked at Xiao Ran with hope.

"Of course, my family is in this business, and we have plenty of tricks."

As Xiao Ran spoke, he took out a piece of yellow paper like a magician and then tore out the outline of a paper man.

Pull out a strand of Hao Laonuo’s hair and tie it on the top of the paper man’s head.

Then he held the paper man in both hands, chanted a spell silently, and threw it casually. The paper man landed on Hao Laonuo's chest and actually stood on it.

Hao Zhaowen was surprised and delighted when he saw this scene. He looked at Xiao Ran in shock, and then seemed to have thought of something: "Brother, are you... a beginner? I heard from my colleagues before that becoming a beginner will give you many magical abilities."

Hao Zhaowen also surfs the Internet and watches various news and videos on a daily basis. In the current environment, he naturally knows about beginners' affairs.

Xiao Ran didn't expect him to think in this direction, but this was a good thing. It saved him the trouble of explaining himself, so he just admitted it.

"Well, you are right to understand it this way."

After getting Xiao Ran's recognition, Hao Zhaowen suddenly became excited.

"You should talk to your father first. Time is limited. When the paper man gradually turns white, it means that your father's soul has landed on the paper man."

Xiao Ran said this and walked out. After all, it was not appropriate for an outsider like him to be a light bulb in a conversation between a father and son.

When he was about to reach the door, he heard Hao Zhaowen suddenly say behind him: "Brother, what did you just say was... white?"

"Yes, white, slowly turning white from the feet to the head."

"That……"

At this moment, Hao Zhaowen's voice suddenly became hesitant: "What if it's... black?"

Xiao Ran had one foot out the door, but was also stunned when he heard this.

He leaned back slightly and squinted at the body of Hao Laonuo. He saw an evil spirit slowly flowing into the paper man, causing the originally light yellow paper man to gradually turn black.

At the same time, Xiao Ran noticed that Hao Laonuo's eyes had opened without him knowing when. His empty eyes stared straight at Hao Zhaowen, who was at a loss. The corners of his lips moved slightly, but there was no sound. However, Xiao Ran could read two words through his lip reading...

"Run!"

(End of this chapter)