Chapter 54 Nie Xiaoqian

Ning Caichen, a native of Zhejiang, is bold and courteous. He often says to people, "I will never spend my heart in this life."

On this day, Ning Caichen went to a temple in the northern suburbs of Jinhua. He saw that the pagoda of the temple was magnificent. In front of the door and the courtyard were full of wormwood weeds, which seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time. The east and west monk's house, the door is closed, there is only one house in the south, and the door lock seems to be new. In the corner of the hall in the east, surrounded by green bamboo, there is a pool under the stone steps, and the lotus flowers in the pool are blooming, which is extremely beautiful.

At that time, I was in time for the township examination. The house price in the city was expensive. Ning Caichen saw that the temple environment was quiet and intended to live here, so he walked around and waited for the monks to return.

At dusk, a scholar-like man returned to the temple and stretched out his hand to push open the south door. Ning Caichen came forward to salute and explain his intention. The scholar said, "There is no owner here, and I also live here temporarily. If you don't dislike the desolation in the temple and want to stay for as long as you want, you can also take the opportunity to ask for teaching questions, and you can't ask for it.

Ning Caichen was overjoyed, so he made grass as a bed, cut wood as a table, and planned to live for a long time.

The night moon is bright and noble, and the light is as clear as water. The two of them are kneeling on the porch, drinking and talking happily, and each of them reported their names. The scholar claimed that his surname is Yan, and his name is Chixia. Ning Caichen secretly suspected that he was a scholar rushing to the examination, but he listened to his words and deeds, and it was not very similar. He asked, "Where is my brother's hometown in Taiwan?"

Yan Chixia said, "I'm from Shaanxi." The words are very simple.

The two talked for a while and went back to their rooms to rest.

Ning Caichen was not used to adapt to the change of environment. Although he went to bed, he could not sleep all the time. Suddenly, he heard a whisper from the north house. He was shocked. He walked to the north wall, opened the window and peeped out. He saw a small courtyard outside the short wall. There was a woman in her forties standing in the yard. In addition, there was also a red dress. The old lady, with a silver hairpin in her head, bent over with a hunchback, was old-fashioned. Under the moonlight, the two women were talking. The woman said, "Why didn't Xiaoqian come yet?"

The old woman said, "It should be almost there."

The woman said, "Isn't she complaining about grandma?"

The old woman said, "I haven't heard of it, but I'm really a little unhappy to see her expression in recent days."

The woman nodded and said, "This girl is not very easy to get along with."

Before he finished speaking, a 17- or 18-year-old beautiful woman came over. The old woman smiled and said, "You shouldn't talk nonsense behind your back. The two of us are talking, and the little goblin arrived without saying anything. Fortunately, I didn't speak ill of you." He also said, "The little lady is as beautiful as the person in the painting. If I were a man, my soul would have been hooked by you."

The woman smiled and said, "I don't appreciate grandma's kind words to make people happy." Next, the three people chatt and don't know what to say. Ning Caichen thought they were the neighbor's family, so he stopped eavesdropping and turned around. It took a long time before it was silent outside.

Ning Caichen was about to fall asleep when he suddenly realized that someone was approaching the bedroom and got up to check. He didn't know when there was a visitor in the room. It was the girl in the previous courtyard. He asked quickly, "What does the girl want to do?"

The girl said, "I can't sleep when I'm lonely. I'm willing to be a dew couple with the prince."

Ning Caichen said righteously, "People's words are terrible. Girls should be clean, and I can't take advantage of people's dangers. If I do something, I will inevitably lose my morality."

The girl said, "No one knows in the middle of the night."

Ning Caichen frowned and said, "Enough, please go out."

The girl couldn't leave, and there were words in her mouth. Ning Caichen scolded, "Don't go quickly. If you don't leave, I'll call someone. My friend Yan Chixia is not easy to mess with."

The girl was afraid when she heard the words, so she retreated. He went outside and turned back again. He took out an ingot of gold and put it on the table. Ning Caichen grabbed the gold and threw it outside. He said angrily, "The unjust wealth has dirty my pocket."

The girl was very ashamed. She picked up the gold and said to herself, "The prince is really hard-hearted."

The next morning, a Lanxi scholar came to stay with his servant and stayed in the east wing. At night, he died of a violent illness. There was a small hole in the bottom of his foot, as if he had been stabbed by a cone, and blood flowed out. No one could figure out the cause of death. After one night, the servant also died, and his death was exactly the same as that of a scholar.

Ning Caichen discussed with Yan Chixia, "Two strong men have died one after another. What's going on?"

Yan Chixia muttered, "It must be a ghost. This temple is not clean and dangerous. The prince should be more careful."

Ning Caichen was upright, not afraid of ghosts, and didn't care when he heard the words. That night, the woman came to visit again and said, "There are countless people in my family, but it is also the first time I have seen a man as hard-hearted as the prince. The prince is as honest and upright as a sage, and the slave family will never dare to bully you again. The cheap concubine, surnamed Nie and Xiaoqian, died early at the age of 18. The body was buried near the temple. The ghost threatened the monster, seduced the man, and did many bad things, which was not what she wanted. Now the men in the temple have been killed, and there is no prey. Grandma will soon attack the prince.

"Who is your grandma?"

"My grandma is not a human, but a night demon."

"What should I do?"

"Yan Chixia has an extraordinary history. If you try to sleep with him, you will be lucky."

"Why don't you seduce Brother Yan?"

" Mr. Yan is a strange man in the world. I dare not approach him."

"So how did you hurt people before?"

"My concubine seduces a man to have sex. Huan, secretly stabbed his feet with a sharp cone. When they were in a coma and didn't know anything, they took the opportunity to ingest blood and give it to grandma to drink. If this trick doesn't work, it will confuse the man with gold. Gold is changed by the ghost bone of Rasha. It is good at digging people's hearts and livers. As long as the heart is greedy, it will definitely die. These two methods, whether seduction or lure, are good for men.

"When is grandma going to hurt me?"

"Toll night."

After a warning, Nie Xiaoqian said goodbye and pleaded, "My concubine is deeply in a sea of suffering and can't go ashore. If the prince is bold and dry, he will be able to save the suffering. If the prince is willing to restrain my concubine's bones and find a quiet cemetery for re-burial, I will be grateful.

Ning Caichen promised, "It's on me, but where is the girl's grave?"

Nie Xiaoqian said, "There is a nest under the poplar tree, which is easy to identify." After saying that, he went out and disappeared.

The next morning, Ning Caichen was worried that Yan Chixia would not return home. He invited him to visit the house early, fixed the banquet, and drank until dusk. He said, "Brother Yan, don't leave tonight and sleep with my younger brother."

Yan Chixia hesitated and said, "This... I'm lonely and don't like to sleep with others."

Ning Caichen said unhappily, "What does Brother Yan mean? Don't you look down on me? You are not allowed to leave tonight anyway. I couldn't help but move all the quilts of Yan Chixia. At this point, Yan Chixia couldn't laugh or cry, so she had to stay and rest and told him, "I know that Brother Ning is a man and has been admired for a long time. But there is some hidden intention, and it's inconvenient to say it clearly. In short, Brother Ning, remember that the package in the bamboo box must not be turned over, otherwise it will be bad for both of you and me.

Ning Caichen agreed. The two lay down and fell asleep. Yan Chixia put the box on the window sill, then pillowed the quilt, and soon snored loudly. Ning Caichen couldn't sleep. Nearly a day, a figure appeared faintly outside the window. The shadow approached the window and peeped into the room. His eyes flashed and his fierceness were exposed.

Ning Caichen was afraid in his heart and wanted to wake up Yan Chixia's courage. Suddenly, there was a sound. A white light like practice shot out of the bamboo box. The speed was like electricity, through the window lattice. He only heard a scream outside the house. The white light forced the strong enemy back, took advantage of the victory, and drilled into the bamboo box. Then the light went out, and the room was silent, and there was darkness around.

Ning Caichen was still shocked. His eyes stared at the boss without blinking. In a vague way, he seemed to see Yan Chixia jump up, lit the candle, moved the box to open it, checked it carefully, and then grabbed something, couldn't help looking at the candlelight and moonlight. Occasionally, he leaned over his nose and smelled and sniffed.

That thing is white and crystal clear, about two inches long, as wide as leek leaves, and I don't know what kind of treasure it is. Yan Chixia studied for a while, wrapped the treasure tightly for several layers, put it back in the box, and said to herself, "What an old demon, so bold that he dares to break the box."

Ning Caichen was puzzled. He coughed and asked, "Brother Yan, the white light flashed just now. What's going on?"

Yan Chixia said, "Brother Ning, you and I have a good relationship and can't hide it any longer. I am a swordsman. I was invaded by a demon and was injured by my flying sword. If it hadn't been blocked by the window for her, the old demon would have died on the spot. At present, although she has escaped her life, she was also seriously injured.

Ning Caichen said, "What kind of treasure did you hide just now?"

Yan Chixia said, "It's a flying sword. I have smelled it, and there is a demonic smell on it.

"Can you show me?"

"Of course." With that, he generously took out the flying sword and handed it to Ning Caichen to play. The blade of the sword was shining, which was indeed a rare magic weapon.

After dawn, Ning Caichen went outside the house to investigate. He saw that the blood stains on the window had not dried. He went out of the temple and went north. His eyes were full of lonely graves. There was indeed a poplar tree in the grave, and there was an old crow nest on the tree, which was naturally the place where Xiaoqian buried her bones.

Ning Caichen dug out Xiaoqian's bones, wrapped them in his clothes, said goodbye to Yan Chixia, and was ready to go home. Yan Chixia took care of him, untied a broken skin bag and gave it to him. She said, "This is a sword bag. It can be well treasured to exorcise evil spirits and avoid ghosts."

Ning Caichen wanted to learn swordsmanship from him. Yan Chixia said, "The prince is righteous and upright. Although he is suitable for learning swords, you are destined to be rich and prominent. I am not the same person."

Ning Caichen also said casually. After a while of greeting, he left by boat.

When I got home, I buried Nie Xiaoqian's body near the study and prayed, "The girl's soul is wandering and lonely. I will bury you next to the study. From then on, you and I will always be neighbors and share sadness and joy. I hope you will no longer be bullied by evil spirits in the future. I'll buy you a glass of water wine. Although the wine is not fragrant enough, it's also a good intention. Don't dislike it.

After praying, I was about to go back when I heard someone behind me saying, "Son, wait a minute, I'll go with you."

Ning Caichen looked back and found that it was Nie Xiaoqian. Xiaoqian looked very happy and thanked him, "Your son has a letter, but Xiaoqian's death is not enough to repay. Please take me home and visit my mother-in-law. From now on, Xiaoqian is willing to serve the prince as a slave and a maidservant for a lifetime.

Ning Caichen looked at her carefully and saw that her skin was shining, her bamboo shoots and feet were slender, and her appearance was gorgeous, and he was a little happy. When the two came to the study, Ning Caichen told Xiaoqian to sit for a moment and reported to her mother in the first room. Her mother was very stunned when she heard this. At that time, Ning Caichen's wife was sick in bed for a long time, and his mother warned him not to leak the wind so as not to scare his wife. As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaoqian had already entered and bowed to the ground.

Ning Caichen introduced, "This is Xiaoqian." The mother was so frightened that she couldn't speak.

Xiaoqian said, "My daughter is floating all over, far away from her parents and brothers. She is taken care of by the prince, and her kindness is profound. If she doesn't dislike it, Xiaoqian is willing to marry the prince as a concubine and repay her kindness."

When the mother saw that she was cute and bolder, she said, "The little lady is willing to marry my son, and the old lady can't help but be happy. But I only have such a son, and I will continue the incense in the future. I really dare not marry a ghost.

Xiaoqian said, "My daughter really doesn't have two hearts. I'm from Jiuquan. Since I can't get the trust of my mother, please let me worship the prince as my brother, the old lady as my mother, and serve him day and night."

When her mother saw her sincerity, she nodded and agreed. Xiaoqian wanted to see her sister-in-law, but her mother refused to agree. Xiaoqian did not force it. She went to the kitchen to prepare meals, went through the corridor and went through the room. She was busy inside and outside, and was as good at housework as old guests.

When it was dark, my mother was afraid of Xiaoqian and asked her to go back to bed without preparing a mattress for her. Xiaoqian knew her mother's intention and left immediately. Passing by Ning Caichen's study, she wanted to go in but didn't dare. She didn't live outside the door. Ning Caichen quickly asked her to enter the room. Xiaoqian shook her head and said, "There is sword spirit in the room. I dare not go in."

Ning Caichen knew it and knew that it was a monster. He quickly took it off and hung it elsewhere. Xiaoqian dared to enter the room and sat down near the candlelight without saying a word. After a long time, she asked, "Brother, do you study at night?" I read the "Lengyan Sutra" when I was a child, and now I have forgotten most of it. Please give me a roll. It's a long night, just in time to ask my brother for advice on Buddhism.

Ning Caichen agreed, and Xiaoqian sat down and slowly read the scriptures. She kept seeing the second update and didn't say anything. Ning Caichen urged her to leave. Xiaoqian said sadly, "I'm a weak woman. I'm afraid to sleep in the grave in the middle of the night."

Ning Caichen knew what she meant and said, "I also want to keep you, but there is no bed in the study. We are brothers and sisters. We should avoid suspicion and can't sleep in the same room."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Xiaoqian sighed, and then reluctant to say goodbye. Ning Caichen secretly felt sorry for her and wanted to prepare a room for her alone, but he was afraid that his mother would be unhappy.

In the days to come, Xiaoqian came to her mother every morning to do housework, and in the evening, she went to the study to accompany Ning Caichen to read. She sat until Ning Caichen turned off the lights and went to sleep before leaving sadly.

At the beginning, due to Ning Caichen's wife's illness, the housework was done by her old mother. It was very hard. Since Xiaoqian came, she took the initiative to be busy. Her mother's life became very comfortable. She was naturally grateful to Xiaoqian. She was more and more intimate with her day and gradually forgot that she was a ghost. I don't drive her away at night and let her sleep with me.

When Xiaoqian first came, she didn't eat food or drink water. Half a year later, she was infected with popularity and slowly drank some porridge. Ning Caichen and her mother loved her very much. When outsiders asked about it, they hid it for her and never said that she was a ghost.

Not long after, Ning's wife died. The mother privately wanted to marry Xiaoqian as her wife, but she was worried that ghosts would live together, which was not good for her son's health. Xiaoqian has loved Ning Caichen for a long time and took the opportunity to say, "My daughter has lived here for more than a year. My mother should know who I am. The daughter has no other meaning. The eldest brother is open and aboveboard. I just want to stay with him for a long time and hope my mother can do it.

The mother knew that Xiaoqian had no malice, but she was afraid that she would not be able to have children. Xiaoqian said, "The children are given by God. The eldest brother is destined to be blessed. There will be three sons of glorious ancestors. They will not have no descendants because I am a ghost wife."

The mother believed her words and discussed this matter with her son. Ning Caichen was also very happy, so he set up a banquet and invited many relatives and friends.

On the wedding day, someone proposed to meet the bride. Xiaoqian wore a phoenix crown and calmly came out to meet the guests. The guests were stunned. Not only did they not doubt that Xiaoqian was a ghost, but they all praised her as a fairy who came down to earth. They offered congratulatory gifts and scrambled to make friends with the bride.

Xiaoqian is good at painting orchids and plum blossoms. She draws a lot of picture scrolls for guests. Many people get pictures and are flattered. When she goes back, she will be a family heirloom.

On this day, Xiaoqian lay in a daze at the window and suddenly asked, "Where is the skin?"

Ning Caichen said, "Because you are afraid, put it in another room."

"I have accepted the breath of life for a long time. I'm no longer afraid. I should take it back and hang it at the head of the bed."

"What's going on?"

"In the past three days, I have been afraid and uneasy. I think that the monster in Jinhua hates me for mutiny. Sooner or later, I will come to seek revenge."

Ning Caichen was worried about his wife's safety and quickly took back the skin bag. Xiaoqian looked at it repeatedly and said, "This is for the sword fairy pretending to be a human head. It's so shabby that I don't know how many lives he has killed. I still shudder when I saw it today. With that, he hung the skin at the head of the bed.

The next day, Xiaoqian ordered her husband to hang the skin bag on the door. At night, the couple sat against the candle. Suddenly, there was a strange sound. Some objects landed in the courtyard like a bird. Xiaoqian panicked and quickly hid behind the curtain. Ning Caichen was calm and watched intently. He saw a night fork demon outside the house, with an electric and bloody tongue and a ferocious face. His two sharp claws bent and huddled. He wanted to break through the door and enter, but he was a little afraid. He patrolled for a long time. Suddenly, he shouted, grabbed the skin and tore it hard on both sides. At this time, there was a sound inside the skin, quickly. It expanded rapidly, blinking as big as a bamboo basket. A ghost drilled out of it, protruding the upper half of the body, holding the night fork tightly with both hands, stuffing it into the bag, and then the surroundings were silent, and the skin bag changed from big to small, returning to its original state.

Xiaoqian walked out from behind the curtain and said with a smile, "It's safe and sound." Opening the skin and observing, Yecha had already died, and the body turned into several buckets of clear water.

A few years later, Ning Caichen was admitted to Jinshi. Xiaoqian gave birth to two sons for him. Later, she took a concubine, and the concubine also gave birth to a son. When the three children grew up, they became officials and had a good reputation.