"senior!"

Xiao Zhuo watched Jiang Yingxue's figure slowly disappearing in Old Man Weng's arms, and then returned to the puppet. He felt anxious and couldn't help but scream. Although he had deduced the general cause of Jiang Yingxue's death, the whole family of the Jiang family

He still didn't know the cause of death. If Jiang Yingxue took Old Man Weng away with him, wouldn't he have to wait for a few more days in Jiang Yingxue's current condition? But then he thought about it, what Jiang Yingxue remembered since he had spiritual consciousness

All the things he had experienced later, and he knew very little about what happened before his death. On the contrary, Old Man Weng knew everything better. From this, Xiao Zhuo stopped and stood aside respectfully.

That touching figure finally disappeared, and the weather-beaten body was also crumbling. Xiao Zhuo wanted to step forward to give him a hand, but was stopped by the other party. Then he saw Old Man Weng pulling the bag behind his back and taking out a bunch of objects.

Paintbrushes, bright colors, rouge, flour, etc. Xiao Zhuo recognized all these things, but he couldn't guess what Old Man Weng wanted to do. Did he want to paint his wife's face?

I saw Old Man Weng pouring flour into a container, pouring water into it, and then started kneading. Maybe the dough was too soft, so he added more flour until it was completely kneaded into a ball. Then he stopped.

After applying a layer of something like lacquer and resin on the puppet's face, he tore off a piece of dough, kneaded it several times in his hands and pasted it on the puppet. Then he saw Old Man Weng's fingers constantly pressing or pressing on the dough.

Pressing, closing or squeezing, the hands that were originally trembling became extremely calm at this time, and the place where the fingers passed actually made a human face. But after all, the face was made of flour.

With a humanish color and no sharp facial features, Xiao Zhuo couldn't tell whether he looked like Jiang Yingxue or not.

Xiao Zhuo was still thinking, but Old Man Weng suddenly took off the dough piece from the puppet and threw it aside. He tore off another piece of dough and started to knead the face of the puppet again. After repeating this for many times, Weng

The old man finally stopped his movements with satisfaction and said: "Young man, can you help me find some dry firewood?"

"Junior, go now, senior, wait a minute." Xiao Zhuo didn't say anything more, and went straight to the outside of the courtyard to find Xu Shiji and Wang Junke. After all, this is their territory, and they should know better than him what is there.

. But when the three of them came back with dry firewood, Old Man Weng was already standing outside the courtyard waiting for them. The face of the puppet in his hand made of flour also became a lot more rosy. It was just that kind of red, Xiao Zhuo.

It looked quite strange, and he couldn't tell whether it was blood or rouge.

The four people sat around outside the courtyard, lighting the dry firewood Xiao Zhuo and the others found in the middle. The crackling sound of firewood echoed in the cold night sky. For a long time, no one spoke. They were all watching Old Man Weng warming the puppets.

I don’t know if it was to dry out the moisture in the dough, or if he was trying to keep his wife, who had protected him all his life, warm.

"Madam, this is probably the last time I'll be embarrassed for you! You are still as beautiful as when we got married, but I am already old. We have persevered together for your family until now. There is finally hope today, isn't there?

"When Old Man Weng said this, the bonfire suddenly started to beat. Old Man Weng's hand that was still caressing the puppet's face had already reached to the top of the puppet's head and put the wedge on it.

"Don't worry, madam, I can hold on until now, how could I collapse like this." Old Man Weng closed his eyes gently, and when he opened them again, he was already looking at Xiao Zhuo, "Mr. Xiao, do you want to hear some of my stories?"

When Xiao Zhuo heard what Old Man Weng said, he quickly stood up, bowed his thanks, and replied: "Senior is very affectionate, and I, this junior, remember it deeply in my heart and am willing to listen."

"Eighty-three years ago, there was a family with a relatively well-off family and an only son. He was gentle and refined since he was a child. He read poetry and books. But when the child was twelve years old, he read a book in the town.

As soon as a puppet show came out, I became obsessed with it, so I went to the troupe to learn from a singing master, making puppets, arranging text, and composing and adding music. I have been addicted to it since then, and I have achieved some achievements." Old Man Weng said here,

He couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth, as if those days were just like yesterday. "But after all, singing is something that belongs to three religions and nine schools. No matter how much he likes it, how can his family agree to it? In order to make him feel at ease, his family members searched for him for him.

They got married, and the woman was very beautiful, just like a touch of bright red on the green bank in the spring breeze, or fresh lotus flowers after the rain on the clear spring and blue lake. Especially when she danced, she was even more refreshing than the puppet he controlled.

From then on, the man really paid attention and became very affectionate with the woman."

"When beautiful women and beautiful families are together, nothing in life should be like this." When Xiao Zhuo heard what Old Man Weng said, he also thought of those days when Jin Ruo accompanied him: when he was young, he would ride a horse and sing long songs, watch the moonset on Orchid Terrace in the distance, and lie drunk.

Mountains and rivers beyond the clouds, pillows on the stars in the wild; candlelight in the southern mountains at night, laughing with the gods and Buddhas. Warming wine and waiting for the fire, the world of mortals and promise in this life. (Excerpted from the ancient song "Hearing the Word") It was really his most comfortable day

, and sighed casually.

"It seems that the young master also has a confidant and a beauty!" Old Man Weng looked at Xiao Zhuo and adjusted his posture with a smile. Xiao Zhuo smiled and nodded in response, which was considered an answer. "But it backfired! After three years of their marriage,

Months later, his wife thought that her mother-in-law was about to give birth, so she wanted to go home to visit her. At that time, because there were some things at home that he needed to deal with, he asked her to go ahead. When he rushed over, not only did he not see his wife, but even his wife

The whole family died at home for unknown reasons." As he said this, Old Man Weng was already extremely hurt, but after all, he was already old, and no matter how many tears he could shed, he was more hurt.

"How did that family die?" Xiao Zhuo asked quickly. As soon as he asked, he realized that he had asked too rashly. How can a person say too much when he is hurt. He apologized: "

This junior is rude, senior, please express your condolences!"

"I don't know! When I rushed there, my wife and her family had been dead for three days. The government said they died of poisoning. But I found the widow and asked, and there were no signs of poisoning on the bodies of my father-in-law and her family. So I went to the government again to file a complaint, and they finally

Tell me all the causes of death. It turns out that when the lady and her family died, although their faces were full of fear, the places of death were all in their own rooms. In addition, there were no injuries or pain on the whole body, and they all kept what they had done before they died.

From what happened, some older people in the area said that my father-in-law's family had offended the gods and was killed in the middle of the night! In order to prevent the people from panic, the government decided that he died of poisoning. I didn't believe it at first.

, but when I saw the five extra willow trees outside the courtyard, I realized that the matter might not be that simple. So one night, I led people to cut down the five willow trees, but when I dug out the roots, no matter how hard I chopped with axes or machetes,

They couldn't even move an inch, and they kept struggling until the end of the day. Suddenly, a voice came from the courtyard, and everyone was startled away. I also knew that except for us people outside the courtyard, there couldn't be anyone in the courtyard at that time!" Old Man Weng also stopped at this time.

Feeling hurt, he picked up the puppet again, brushed a layer of sticky stuff on the puppet's face, and then baked it in front of the campfire.

"So I boldly walked into the hospital. Maybe I was lucky. Although my father-in-law's family of six people were trapped in the hospital at that time, they all died for the first time after all, and they didn't have much resentment. I saw Guoer and Qinghao jumping around.

He walked out of the house and kept calling his parents and grandparents. When he got to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, he kept asking them when his wife would get home. The mother-in-law kindly replied: 'Come soon! Your brother-in-law was the day before yesterday.

Someone from home has sent a message, I think it will arrive tomorrow, you two don’t be disobedient then!’ The two children wanted to go to their elder brother’s parents’ house to make some noise, but they saw me as soon as they came out of the house. I was learning a puppet show.

When I was young, I heard my master mention that most of my disciples who performed puppetry had the experience of requieming souls and transporting spirits, and they knew something about the underworld. Although I haven’t learned that yet, I still knew a little about it, so I didn’t dare to

I startled them easily, so I told them that I was their brother-in-law and uncle. It was just because my wife couldn't stand the bumps on the road that she walked slowly, and she was afraid that her family would be anxious, so she asked me to come first to say that she was safe.

Nothing happened, and my father-in-law and mother-in-law's family also came out to entertain me. But when I went there again at Haishi the next day, it was still the same scene and the same conversation. Only then did I realize that my father-in-law and his family were all there before his death.

I look forward to my wife’s return home for reunion.” At this time, Old Man Weng’s hand, which was about to paint another layer of paint on the puppet, also stopped in mid-air. After a while, Old Man Weng breathed a sigh of relief and then dropped his arm. It seemed that

This simple fall seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

"At that time, I no longer cared about how my father-in-law's family died, because my wife obviously returned home before me, but there was no trace of my wife among the dead souls in that house! So I hurried back at half-way through the starry night.

When we were walking, the horses suddenly stopped and I had no choice but to find a place to rest nearby. It was in my dream that night that I dreamed of a faceless man walking towards me, calling me husband all the time.

"Although I was horrified, I had just experienced what happened to my father-in-law's family last time, so I asked carefully and found out that she was indeed my wife, but that face had been stripped off for some reason." Old Uncle Weng said.

After choking, Xiao Zhuo retracted his arm that was still baking the puppet. Seeing that his baking this time was not as long as last time, Xiao Zhuo didn't ask anything. Maybe Old Man Weng was afraid that he would be too excited and destroy the puppet.

You dropped it by mistake!

"When I learned where my wife died, I could no longer bear my grief, so I told her what was going on at home. Unexpectedly, she suddenly became violent and unusual. When I was at a loss, she suddenly became quiet for some reason.

Later, I found out in my dream that the road to hell was opening that night, and the underworld officer came out to patrol in order to ensure that all the souls were reincarnated safely. When he encountered the lady who wanted to transform into an evil spirit, he took action to stop her. However, although the lady failed to transform into an evil spirit,

, but because I have no face, I still cannot be reincarnated. And I can either help the lady find her face, or let the lady be taken to the city of vain death and be an orphan forever."

"Senior, did you ever regret that you chose the former?" After hearing this, Xiao Zhuo naturally understood the general outline of the matter and asked a digression.

"What regrets do you have? It doesn't matter if the lady has no face, at least I remember in my heart that she is so beautiful. It doesn't matter what else he does!" At this time, Old Man Weng took out the paintbrush from his bag, unfolded the colorful colors, and began to paint the puppets.

Adding eyebrows. "So I traveled around and found my master. It took me nearly a year to learn the puppet show to resurrect souls and transport spirits. Then I went back to find the lady, made a carrier for her, carved out eyebrows, and I have been here ever since.

After living in the town, my wife didn’t know where she learned the strange method. She slowly transformed from a soul into a spirit body, and gradually remembered what happened before her death. After hearing this, I knew that I was not involved in this matter.

But every time I see my wife go home to appease her family, I swear in my heart that I will give justice to my family. But as time goes by, I am a mortal after all, and in order for me to fulfill this wish, my wife secretly sacrifices my cultivation to protect her.

I, she thought I didn’t know, but how many people in the world can live to be 110 years old and still have good hearing and eyesight!" Every stroke of the painting is as smooth as ever, and the red makeup is eye-catching. The puppet in Old Man Weng’s hands finally begins to take shape.

With his expression calm, Xiao Zhuo looked around and saw that it was indeed Jiang Yingxue's face, but there was a line of water on the cheek and at the corner of the eye, and he kissed away the makeup that Old Man Weng had just painted.

"If a woman in this world can be treated like this by this old man, let alone her cultivation, she will have no regrets even if she is doomed!" Listening to other people's stories and thinking about his own experience, Xiao Zhuo thought of what happened before Jinruo left that night.

The look in their eyes and the deep affection between the two of them along the way made him believe that if Jin Ruo hadn't been burdened with that responsibility, Jin Ruo would rather violate the rules of heaven than separate from him!
Chapter completed!