After coming out of Jinling Temple, Liu Ruyan happened to be walking with a female believer. She chatted casually for a few words. After arriving at the church, they bowed hands and said goodbye.
Liu Ruyan and Shen Yanchu walked back to the small courtyard.
He stopped outside the house, stretched out his hand, combed the broken hair on her temples, and said softly: "Don't get too tired, go to bed early."
She hesitated: "Okay."
Liu Ruyan walked into the room, turned around and closed the door. She came to the table, lit the candle, and sat down lazily.
I heard from the little novice monk that Master Daoxuan's eyes were red before his death, as if he was possessed by evil spirits.
Daoxuan, Dali Temple, female musicians... People with depression can see things that ordinary people can't...
She yawned and felt sleepy, so she simply washed herself and lay down on the bed early.
In the night, she stared at the bed curtain above her head.
The winter in Jinling is wet and cold, and no matter how thickly dressed, her hands and feet still feel cold. Liu Ruyan curled up, feeling too cold to sleep.
She turned over and saw dead branches falling one after another outside the window, whistling in the wind, and heard a "pop" sound, as if something fell on the roof.
There were intermittent sounds from the roof. She opened her eyes wide and saw a long shadow slowly climbing up the window lattice.
The black shadow penetrated the window screen in an instant, getting closer and clearer, meandering towards the head of the bed.
Liu Ruyan wanted to get up, but found that she seemed to be pinned to the bed, unable to move. She turned her face sideways and saw the black shadow approaching silently, cruising along the legs of the bed to her pillow.
Through the moonlight, she finally saw the black shadow clearly, which was a ball of long hair.
It was raised like a snake, and a grotesque face emerged from its thick hair. Rather than a face, it was more like a piece of flesh that had been whitened and swollen by water, with no facial features visible.
It looked down, and a strand of cold hair slipped down, carrying a damp, moldy and rancid smell.
"Why don't you save me - why don't you save me -" it asked repeatedly.
The evil spirit in the lake?
Liu Ruyan touched the dagger hidden under the pillow and frowned: "I have neither the power to change my destiny nor the power to turn things around, so how can I save you?"
"Lie to me - lie to me - lie to me - you are all lying to me -" it growled lowly.
Suddenly, it strangled Liu Ruyan: "You all go to hell!!"
Liu Ruyan was instantly submerged by her hair, and her whole figure seemed to be sinking into a vast ocean. In a hurry, she grabbed a rosary on the pillow and used all her strength to hit the rosary at the evil spirit.
In an instant, the evil spirits dispersed like black smoke.
Liu Ruyan struggled to sit up and looked at the empty house, her chest heaving up and down.
The moonlight was bright, and through the window screen, there seemed to be a figure standing outside the window.
She picked up the Hanyue Scimitar with lingering fear and silently walked to the door.
When he opened the door, he saw a young monk standing in the courtyard, wearing a snow-colored cassock and holding a rosary in his hand.
She immediately remembered the rosary that warded off evil spirits.
The monk muttered something, and the Sanskrit sound was solemn. After a while, he turned around and looked at Liu Ruyan from a distance.
Liu Ruyan recognized this person as Master Daoxuan, who had passed away long ago.
"Why is the holy monk here?" She took back her scimitar.
Daoxuan opened his lips: "It's the donor who wants to see the poor monk."
Liu Ruyan was stunned and asked: "Who was the holy monk harmed by?"
Daoxuan just looked at each other indifferently, clasping his hands together: "I am the Buddha who is compassionate."
She didn't understand what riddle the monk was making, and wanted to continue asking, but the rosary beads in Daoxuan's hand suddenly fell apart. The moment they fell to the ground, they turned into skulls and bones, reflecting the scorching light of the fire. Daoxuan also changed his appearance, with three heads and six arms. It turned out to be Asura.
Asura has feet on bones, holds the sun and moon in his hands, and has compassionate eyes. Liu Ruyan stands in front of him, as small as dust.
"Namo Amitabha Night."
"Dortagado Night."
The Sanskrit sounds were coming from all directions, making her dizzy. Liu Ruyan had to cover her head and shouted: "Holy Monk——"
The next moment, all the firelight in front of me was extinguished, replaced by a group of bald monks reciting scriptures and playing the magical instruments in their hands.
Among the monks, Dong Qingxian looked sad and played a bamboo flute. The tune was very sad.
She walked towards Dong Qingxian and shouted, but the other party seemed to be unaware.
She looked behind him, and through the open door and window, she saw Shen Yanchu, Bai Zhi, and Gong Shuyu standing inside.
Gong Shuyu seemed to be crying: "This guy was fine yesterday, why did he suddenly disappear..."
Bai Zhi sighed: "There is no way to save her. There is no way to save her."
There was a person lying on the bed.
Who died? Liu Ruyan thought to herself.
She walked into the house and came to the bedside, where she saw a girl sleeping on the bed, her face covered by linen. Looking down, she saw a jade ink jade worn on the girl's chest.
Liu Ruyan was suddenly startled.
Dead...how could...
"The time has come, please send the deceased to his grave!" An urging voice came from outside the house.
Shen Yanchu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his head and said in a raw and hoarse voice: "I'll see her off."
After saying that, he bent down and picked up the girl on the couch, and slowly walked towards the door step by step.
A corner of the linen cloth slipped off, revealing a blood-stained face with shocking bright red fingernail prints.
Shen Yanchu lowered his eyes, the corners of his eyes already turning red: "Ruyan, I won't keep you waiting for too long."
Liu Ruyan opened her lips, but couldn't utter a single sound. She watched helplessly as he walked past her, step by step, and gradually moved away.
Outside the door, the vast white snow is pure white. In the backlight, his figure becomes farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, and gradually merges with the snowy light in the sky.
Never to be found again.
She covered her chest, her heart hurt so much...
Liu Ruyan fell into endless grief and could not extricate herself. Suddenly, she woke up from her dream.
When I opened my eyes, I realized that the edges of my sleeves were already soaked with tears.
It turned out that he fell asleep while sitting at the table. No wonder he felt cold. Thinking of the dream just now, Liu Ruyan put on a coat, opened the door, and walked into the yard.
It's bright outside and the sky is clear and cloudless.
She knocked on the door next door, and it opened in time.
"Yan Chu——" she said with a smile.
Shen Yan glanced at her for the first time, seeming to be looking at her, but not seeming to be looking at her.
There were a few more jackdaws on the old trees in the courtyard, fluttering their wings and flying into the air. He twitched the corners of his lips: "I thought it was you who came back."
He shook his head with a wry smile, took a step back, and covered the door.
Liu Ruyan stood at the door, motionless, with the sound of dripping water ringing in her ears. She lowered her head and saw blood splashing on the snow.
She raised her hands, and the gaps between her fingernails were filled with hideous blood and flesh.
Liu Ruyan woke up suddenly, with a layer of cold sweat on her forehead.
She was sitting next to the desk, with the light of a large candle and wisps of green smoke floating from the incense burner.
She composed herself, and when she went to pick up the teacup at hand, her fingertips couldn't help but tremble. It wasn't until she drank a glass of cold water that she regained consciousness.
Liu Ruyan opened her palms and looked at her nails.
"It turned out to be just a dream." She breathed a sigh of relief.