White Bone Monkey King

"No! Why did this dead man suddenly laugh!"

The old Taoist priest suddenly exclaimed.

Jin An looked down and saw that the dead man in the coffin was indeed smiling.

The dead man was like an ancient object that had been dusty for too long. It suddenly came into contact with the outside air and the sun, causing violent changes. A few beams of sunlight penetrated through the cracks in the door, which were not tight, and shone on the old corpse. You could see that the corpse expanded rapidly, and the face and corners of the eyes were swollen. The muscles are stretched to fullness, giving people a weird picture of a dead man laughing.

The corpse was still expanding rapidly, covered with spots quickly, and then festered rapidly and turned into blood... This shocking change happened so fast. In just a few breaths, the body in the coffin melted by itself, and blood flowed along the seams of the coffin. All over the place.

"This, this..." The old Taoist priest covered his mouth and nose and backed away in shock, avoiding the rotten blood flowing to the ground.

At this time, the air in the coffin shop was foul and smelly.

It's like the mixed smell of rotten eggs that have been stored for one month in summer and stinky pork that has been stored for three months. It can make people vomit.

Jin An put the index and middle fingers of his right hand together, holding a plague-repelling charm to drive away the bad luck in the coffin shop, and then approached the coffin again.

There was no one in the coffin at this moment. There was only an empty coffin in the tomb.

Why.

The old Taoist priest sighed: "The Supreme Taiyi Du'e Tianzun."

"That's fine. Whether it's a trumpet urn or a living burial, it's a tragic burial method. One day, it can be seen again and the evil spirits have dissipated. It can be regarded as a relief and accumulate good virtues for future generations. If the ancestors are not peaceful, the descendants will suffer."

Jin An's eyes sharpened and he had already made up his mind: "Since I bought this coffin shop, it becomes the property of my Five Zang Taoist Temple. I want to see who is raising corpses under my nose!"

"Old Taoist, please re-attach the ink line on the coffin. Let's put the coffin back into the horn urn. I'll see how many people will come to my shop to pick up the coffin in the future!"

From digging the soil to filling it back in, it was already the afternoon.

As for the plaque on the coffin pavilion, Jin An also hung it back up.

This is called sitting back and waiting.

Stop with stillness.

Just when the coffin shop was reopened, the government's trial of the child-eating and poisonous woman case had already concluded. Before the evidence was conclusive, the government judged the case very quickly. Zhang Yuhong was sentenced to be imprisoned in a women's prison and later hanged.

When the yamen has a penalty, it will post a notice on the notice wall outside the yamen to inform the world and serve as a warning to others.

When the people of Jiangzhou Prefecture saw a new notice posted, they gathered around to join in the fun. When a scholar read the details of the case aloud, the people present were angry and sympathetic to what happened to Kida Miki's family. At the same time, they all remembered Yonglefang. The five internal organs Taoist temple and the coffin shop.

"Has anyone heard of the Five Zang Taoist Temple?" A big man said in a loud voice.

Everyone present shook their heads and said they had never heard of it.

In front of the notice wall, a firewood man carrying firewood said: "I know Yongle Square. It is in the southwest corner of the city. The location is a bit remote. I sold firewood to several families there last autumn. But I have no impression of the Taoist temple. None, I don’t remember there being a Taoist temple there?”

Another seller also answered: "I have been walking around Jiangzhou Prefecture for so many years, and I have never seen a Taoist temple called the Wu Zang Taoist Temple."

Some people wondered: "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be right. The two Taoist priests who can reverse the case of the deceased and capture the real culprits are experts. If there is such a Taoist temple in this city, it should be very famous, right? Even if the fame is not too great, , and it will definitely not be unknown, and no one has heard of it.”

Just when everyone was whispering to each other and asking each other who knew the Wu Zang Taoist Temple, someone in the crowd shouted: "That's because the Wu Zang Taoist Temple came to Jiangzhou Prefecture. It has only been a day since the groundbreaking was started, and it has not been completed yet!"

Everyone was attracted by the voice and turned to look at the speaker: "What do you call this big brother? Do you know the Wu Zang Taoist temple who solved the case of the poisonous woman?"

He was a man of about fifty years old with a strong body. He had never been in such a big spotlight in his life. It was the first time that so many people paid attention to him. He immediately straightened his back and replied proudly: "I am not the only one." I know you, Wu Zang Taoist Temple even hired me to be a carpenter."

"I'm not bragging. I could tell at the first glance that both Taoist priests Jin An and Chen were very capable people. They are low-key and approachable..."

Next, the carpenters, who had received the attention of so many people for the first time, recounted what they saw and heard when they were building the Wu Zang Taoist Temple, just like pouring beans through a bamboo tube. It's so vivid that it makes people's hair stand on end in broad daylight.

…

Yongle Square.

The Taoist view of the five internal organs.

Jin An and the old Taoist priest, who were re-leveling the ground in the coffin shop, suddenly heard the noise of many people. When they went out, they saw dozens of Jiangzhou Prefecture people coming to watch the coffin shop and the Taoist temple that had not yet started construction.

As for the leading tour guide, Jin An looked familiar to him, and finally recognized him as one of the carpenters he had hired, named Liu Shoushan. Thinking of this, he and the old Taoist priest both looked at each other in confusion. Yesterday, the other party had also He was clamoring to leave, so why did he become the tour guide of their Five Zang Taoist Temple with his face glowing today?

This reversal was a little too fast, and the two of them couldn't turn the corner for a while.

"Everyone, please be quiet, be quiet. These are the Taoist priests Jin An and Chen who I will introduce to you. They are both Taoist priests who solved the case of the poisonous woman. These two are both Taoist priests. It is my pride, Liu Shoushan, to build the Five Zang Taoist Temple!"

The carpenter named Liu Shoushan beat his chest loudly and spoke as if the Wu Zang Taoist Temple had been built by his hands.

After listening to the introduction of carpenter Liu Shoushan, the crowd gathered around to watch the excitement and started discussing.

"It turns out that they were the Taoist priest who used a coffin to lay a plaque to clear away the grievances of the wronged souls and catch the real murderer Zhang Yuhong. But the Taoist priest named Jin'an is so young."

Jin An: "?"

Old Taoist priest: "?"

Carpenter Liu Shoushan bowed to the two men at this time: "Taoist Jin'an, Taoist Chen, you don't need to explain, I already know the cause and effect. The day before yesterday, Old Zheng Mingming and I burned the coffin pavilion plaque, and the coffin pavilion plaque was burned the next day Then he hung it back up again. There must be an innocent soul to redress his grievances, so there was a scene where Master Jin An and Master Chen just promised us that they would find out the truth, and then they went straight to the Tian family with two coffins to solve the unsolved murder case. Otherwise, it cannot be explained. Why are there so many coincidences?"

Liu Shoushan said it with great respect, and already regarded Jin An and the old Taoist priests as those who were truly capable, able to see things that ordinary people could not see, and discern what ordinary people could not, and not those fake magic sticks.

Jin'an, old Taoist priest: "..."

Although Liu Shoushan was half right and was not completely fabricated, Jin An and the old Taoist priest were still moved by this honest and simple carpenter uncle.

It just saves them a reason to explain.

"Don't worry, Taoist Priest Jin'an and Taoist Chen, the construction of Wu Zang Taoist Temple will start today. I will call Lao Zheng, Sun Brick, the Wang brothers... all of them to hurry up. We can't delay the work of the two Taoist priests."

Liu Shoushan had an anxious temper, and as soon as he finished speaking, he ran out to call for help.

Jin An and the old Taoist priest were moved again. The people of Jiangzhou Prefecture were indeed simple and enthusiastic.

At this time, the two of them also learned through people's mouths that the government had posted a notice that Zhang Yuhong would be admitted to the women's prison and that Qiu Hou would be hanged. When they heard the words Qiu Hou hanged, Jin An nodded slightly and said nothing.

Generally speaking, local yamen rarely issue judgments such as execution. This is neither in line with national law nor in accordance with the laws of nature, because after the prisoner is sentenced, he must go through three trials to prevent local officials from making unjust, false, and erroneous cases.

And after passing the reexamination, he was not executed immediately, but was left for questioning later in the fall. A gentleman is ordered by heaven, and rewards and punishments should also be in accordance with heaven. Rewards are given in spring and summer, and punishments are given in autumn and winter. Therefore, the death penalty prisoners will be kept until autumn and winter before execution.

And the way men and women are sentenced to death is also different.

"The man was beheaded in the market" refers to the beheading at noon in the vegetable market. The scene was bloody and the killing was to serve as a warning to others.

"If a woman commits a crime but is not beheaded, she will be hanged in a secret place." It refers to the fact that female death row prisoners are left to be hanged at night, which is regarded as a dignified death and respect for women.

Things like the kind of thing where the beautiful heroine is constantly going to Caishikou to rob the execution ground is just necessary for the script.

People in this era had little entertainment life. As soon as they heard that Jiangzhou Prefecture had a Taoist temple and helped solve a murder case, many people came to Yongle Square to watch. Especially since this case was posted on the bulletin wall by the Yamen to warn the world, there are even more evildoers. Jin An and the old Taoist priest did nothing in the afternoon, they just kept talking and talked until their mouths were dry. , repeating the details of the case over and over to the new person.

Jin An was talking so hard that his mouth was bald, but the old Taoist priest was in high spirits. He had not been so lively for a long time. He had a blue and white porcelain teapot in one hand and a blue and white porcelain tea cup in his other hand. He drank a sip of tea from time to time to moisten his throat. His face was red and his eyes were bright as he spoke. Cai Yiyi, not to mention how energetic I am, I wish I could praise the Five Zang Taoist Temple to everyone I meet.

Even before the Wu Zang Taoist Temple was built, it was already famous in Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Compared with a year ago when they first arrived at the Wu Zang Taoist Temple in Fucheng, Wuzhou, where they were unfamiliar with the place and had a difficult time, it was a good start.

This time the Yamen decided the case so quickly and posted notices with great fanfare. Perhaps this was also related to the letter of introduction from Mr. Yin of Wuzhou Prefecture.

The two of them were busy until the evening, when Jiangzhou Prefecture entered the curfew time, and finally had some free time. At the coffin shop, Jin An brought a pot of rice wine and several packages of snacks wrapped in lotus leaves, and called the old Taoist priest to come over and eat together.

After digging out a trumpet urn in the coffin shop, Jin An and the old Taoist priest decided to stay here overnight to see who would pick up the coffin next.

"Old Taoist, stop sweeping now. You have been busy all day. Cleaning after eating is not as important as eating." Jin An moved the table and bench, put the things in place, and shouted to the old Taoist priest who was sweeping the sand at the door. .

During the day, they were digging coffins in such a noisy manner that a lot of dust was scattered on the ground.

"Little brother, if you want to talk about serving dinner, then I will get excited." The old Taoist priest put down the broom and dustpan and ran over.

Bang, Jin An patted the old Taoist priest's hand reaching for the lotus leaf bag: "Wash your hands before eating."

The old Taoist priest rushed to the official well to fetch water to wash his hands. There was no well water for the coffin shop, so he had to go to the public official well to fetch water. In addition to the official wells, there were also water canals. The city's large and small official wells and water canals were as dense as a chess game of stars. in Apple pie order.

The Jiangnan area has developed commerce and trade, and even small jobs such as water deliverymen and water sellers have developed.

The old Taoist priest who brought the water first applied the coarse powder of ground shells and then added the soap locust beans to make a foam, which was a simple disinfectant hand sanitizer. If there is no soap locust, you can also use wood ash instead.

The people in Jiangnan live a prosperous life, which leads to an improvement in production levels. They are rich in materials and have many conveniences.

After washing his hands, the old Taoist priest wiped them on his robe, and then rushed over to eat. Jin An didn't say anything when he saw this detail. He smiled and shook his head and continued to untie a few packets of lotus leaves.

Pork head, pig ears, and roast chicken are the best dishes to go with wine.

The old Taoist priest's eyes lit up: "Little brother, when did you buy these?"

Jin An smiled and said: "In the afternoon, I saw that you have the talent of a storyteller, Old Taoist, and I couldn't bear to interrupt you, so I went to the tavern on the next street to buy some food and drinks."

The old Taoist priest said: "Haha, there is wine and meat, the world is happy and carefree, and I can't exchange it for a thousand pieces of gold."

Next, the two of them had a drink and started talking, laughing, eating and drinking. They ate meat and drank wine, completely regardless of what the world thought of this underworld coffin shop. They felt so carefree.

Even the silly sheep was greedy and came over to have a drink. I don’t know if it tasted like rice wine. After drinking it, it kept bleating, making Jin An and the old Taoist priest laugh.

Wine is like life, first pure and then soft, first soft and then strong, first cold and then warm, first bitter and then sweet. Although wine hurts the liver and stomach, it is soothing. After three cups of old wine, I am slightly drunk and looking at the world of mortals. A man who knows how to drink only needs a pot of wine and a small plate of peanuts to drink comfortably for a whole day. Jin An and the old Taoist priest talked about it. In the middle of the night, outside the coffin shop in the dead of night, there was suddenly the sound of chains being dragged on the ground. sound.

Another piece of business came to the coffin shop today. It was a pig butcher. The pig butcher's feet were locked with heavy stone locks, and the skin on his ankles was worn out. Every step he took was extremely heavy and difficult, and his face was painful. He needed encouragement. It takes courage to take the next step.

Even so, he still reached the coffin shop step by step with difficulty.

"Boss, do you sell coffins here? I want to order a coffin." Perhaps because the stone locks on his feet had already made him numb from pain, the pig butcher said expressionlessly after entering the store.

The old Taoist priest looked at Jin An in surprise.

Jin An naturally understood what surprised the old Taoist priest. The dead people buried under the coffin shop had obviously been taken care of by them. How could there be "undertakers" coming to buy coffins when the coffin shop was open late at night?

Is it a coincidence that Mingdian has a strong Yin energy and is prone to encountering ghosts? Or is the fundamental problem of this coffin shop still unresolved?

Jin An took a bite of pig head meat and then took a sip of wine to moisten his throat. He pointed at the coffin hanging above his head with his chopsticks and said, "I have a black coffin here for people who have not yet finished their life, and a black coffin for people who have died. There are red coffins for funerals, white coffins for unmarried people, and affordable yellow coffins made of pine wood. Which coffin do you want to order?"

The butcher, Nu Nu, looked up at the coffin.