He cursed the old fox inwardly, not wanting to offend anyone for no reason. Li Ji glanced at Xiao Ziming, thinking about finding someone who has a close relationship with the old man to take revenge on, but after thinking about it, he couldn't find a strong man who has a close relationship with the old man. He secretly cursed his bad luck and had to set his sights on Wang, the richest man standing aside. This rich man Wang has always been domineering in the village. It is reasonable that there will be people involved in the trouble in your own manor. So facing Wang, he said lightly, "Your family's guard leader Shi Dawu is in his prime, proficient in martial arts, and courageous. He should be one of the ones who set up the formation."
This Shi Dawu did not have any grudges with Li Ji, but it is said that scholars look down on each other, and warriors actually look down on each other as well. This man prides himself on being the guard leader of Wang's family, and often runs rampant in the village. He is unwilling to help in the fights in the village. Who else can he find if not him?
Mr. Wang's eyes twitched. He didn't care. He was just a guard. Even if he had better martial arts, he had money, so where could he not hire one? But he refused to give in and said, "I also recommend someone, Guo Biaotou of Zhenxi Zhiyuan. His martial arts are not inferior to Dawu. Maybe he can be one of them?"
"Not appropriate, not appropriate..." Li Ji shook his head like a wave drum, "Guo Biao is nearly fifty years old, and his spirit and blood may be lacking..."
Mr. Wang was about to explain, but unexpectedly, Chongfa made the decision again, "Those over forty should not be deployed."
Xu Jihai interjected, "In this case, Xiao Liu, the butcher in Zhenbei, kills animals all day long, and he still has courage and murderous aura. What do you think?"
Li Ji felt a little disappointed, for he knew that this old sour scholar would miss the butcher of the Liu family, because a few months ago, the Liu family got a sheep whip when they slaughtered a sheep, which was extremely majestic and huge. Mr. Qiang happened to pass by and liked it. He asked for it, saying that he would fry it and go with wine. Xiao Liu, the butcher, was reluctant to give it up, but he didn't want to hurt Mr. Qiang's face, so he said quickly, "Mr. Qiang is so old, aren't you afraid that he won't be able to receive the supplement?" It became a laughing stock in Cixi for a while, and some people even gave Mr. Qiang a nickname - Xu Bu Bu Bu. It seems that this old sour scholar has been holding a grudge.
Since three people had been decided, the remaining one was also quickly decided. It turned out to be Ah Tu, an orphan in the town. Ah Tu was a little peculiar. He was extremely strong and immune to cold and heat. No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, he only wore a short coat to cover his body, but he never got sick.
He made a living by doing odd jobs for others. He was just a little stupid. As long as he was allowed to eat meat, there was nothing he dared not do. Everyone had made up their minds and dispersed to make preparations for tomorrow. When the others said goodbye to Chongfa, they were all very polite. Only Li Ji didn't take it seriously. Seeing the old Taoist closing his eyes slightly and pretending to be a ghost, he couldn't help but laugh in his heart, 'This guy is very good at pretending. Don't let the monster eat him when you perform the ritual tomorrow.'
There was no conversation all night, and the red sun rose high. When Li Ji finished, he wrapped the heavy sword on his back with cloth. His sword had a strange shape, and he couldn't find a suitable scabbard, so he simply carried it on his back, which was also convenient for drawing. When he opened the gate of the courtyard, he found that people were coming and going on the street, as if they were going to a market, it was very lively. Everyone was talking about the opening ceremony of the altar today. When they saw Li Ji, they inquired about it in every possible way. Li Ji was not surprised. This town hall, like the grassroots departments in his previous life, was a sieve. Nothing could be hidden from them. The villagers lived a monotonous life. When they encountered such a rare new thing in decades, it was like a festival.
Li Ji went to eat by himself. After eating, he asked for ten more buns and two pounds of beef, wrapped in lotus leaves. The altar was opened at noon, and I didn't know if I would have time to eat. It was better to be prepared, but I couldn't let my stomach suffer.
First go to the town hall, and a few people check if there are any omissions. Arrange the hangers-on to guard the surroundings of the haunted house to prevent the curious villagers from approaching without knowing the depth. Not long after, Shi Dawu, Xiao Liu the butcher, and Ah Tu all arrived. Qiangfu was talkative and gave many instructions. An hour before noon, everyone officially set off.
Wang Dahu's manor is located less than three miles north of the town. It is a good place to go by the mountains and rivers. This house was built by the master Wang. It has been more than 50 years since then, and there has never been any strange phenomenon. Unexpectedly, a monster appeared today.
Li Ji and his four people and the Taoist Chongfa were walking all the way, and countless villagers followed them, chattering and making a lot of noise, but the Taoist ignored them. When they arrived at the place where the hangers-on set up the checkpoint, the villagers were stopped and immediately quarreled and pushed each other. How could a dozen hangers-on stop hundreds of villagers? They were all fellow villagers, so how could they use heavy hands? Therefore, there were still dozens of people who followed to the haunted house. Li Ji saw that Chongfa didn't speak, so he was too lazy to ask. If something went wrong, it was the Taoist who took the blame. The group of five people entered the house and went straight to the back garden.
The house of the master Wang covers a large area and is paved with magnificent paving. The back garden is planted with flowers and fish, with rockery and pavilions, winding corridors, and an ancient well in the middle, which is where the monster hides. Taoist Chongfa did not say much. After a brief investigation, he drew four circles in four directions with the ancient well as the center and a diameter of five meters. Li Ji and the other three only needed to stand in the circles and wait for the monster to show up, then hold the Taoist talisman given by Chongfa and stick it on their chests. It was simple, without any action or chanting.
Among the four circles, Li Ji openly occupied the northernmost one. It was closest to the backyard wall, only two meters away, which was very convenient for escaping when the situation was bad. The wall was no more than five feet high. The last time the ruffians explored this place, several of them climbed over the wall from here. He was a roving guard, an official, and powerful, so no one dared to compete with him.
The circle in the west was occupied by Shi Dawu, and that place was only two or three meters away from the backyard wall than Li Ji, which was also convenient. Butcher Liu couldn't win against him, but he wasn't stupid. He chose the circle on the south side. Although this place was far from the courtyard wall, it was close to the corner gate of the garden. When there was danger, escaping into the flower hall and the house was also a way out. Don't underestimate Butcher Liu's fierce face and his face full of flesh. He was no stupider than others at the critical moment. The remaining circle on the east side was a dead end. There was a rockery on the left and a pond on the right. If you want to escape, you have to pass through the ancient well. Only Ah Tu came to occupy it. This person was born stupid and muddleheaded. He held the talisman and smiled foolishly, not knowing that he had already stepped into the gate of hell.
Chongfa Taoist sat cross-legged 3 meters away from the ancient well, closed his eyes and rested his mind, waiting for the time to come. He didn't see the peach blossom sword or other props for pretending to be ghosts. Seeing him sitting so close, Li Ji admired him a little. He didn't believe in the sayings of gods and ghosts, but he was too lazy to argue when others said the same thing. Just come here to see a joke. In his judgment, the murderers who come here are mostly just passing bandits. Now that the government has been alarmed, they are probably running away. Chongfa dares to sit three meters away from the ancient well. He probably has figured this out.
On this side, Li Ji and others sit and wait quietly. Outside the garden wall, a group of people who do good things have already come here following the sound. They are all locals and familiar with the path. Naturally, they dare not enter the back garden, but there are always ways to work around it. The Wang family is rich and generous. They are willing to spend money to build the house. Even the wall is built very thick. Not long after, dozens of villagers rode on the wall and pointed at the courtyard. Some shouted to cheer and some joked. It was very noisy for a while. Li Ji was closest to the wall and felt annoyed when he heard it, so he asked loudly, "Master, do you want to drive away such a killer?"
"No need, I will leave later..." Chongfa closed his eyes and seemed indifferent to the outside world.
Li Ji was a little confused after listening to Zhong Fa's words. What did it mean to withdraw later? Then he thought that he was also meddling in other people's business. This Taoist obviously wanted to show off in front of others. Without an audience, how could he increase his popularity? He had nothing to lose and ruined other people's good deeds...