Chapter Eleven He said I'm a coward

  I saw that man seemed to be staring at me with discontent, I felt a bit numb, I took out the cigarettes from my bag and handed them out to the three men...

  The other two were fine, but the one staring at me didn't take it and even hummed a sound. My hand holding the cigarette stopped in mid-air, feeling awkward. Seeing him take out a pack of Suyan cigarettes, I quietly put mine back and dryly laughed twice...

  "Zhang Ting, he seems to be looking at me with disapproval..." I pulled Zhang Ting over quietly and said.

  "He's been chasing me for a long time, but I didn't respond." From Zhang Ting's words, she learned that the man's name was Lin Yifan.

  "So that's how it is... You're still quite charming."

  "So if you're not good to me, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourself." I saw this little girl growing up and putting on airs, looking up at me with a smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

  One evening I was watching them barbecue, and that man kept staring at me from time to time, it scared me a bit.

  After having barbecue, eight of us sat in a circle and chatted.

  "Why don't we tell stories instead?" said a man. From the barbecue process just now, except for Lin Yifan, it seems that the other two men have ideas about those three women.

  "Okay, okay, what story?" said a girl named Lü Chen.

  "Ghost... ghostly... affair..." The man who was speaking intentionally slowed down his tone and slowly spoke out these three words.

  When I heard the three words "ghost story", I knew it was their way of teasing the girls, but my subconscious gaze fell on Zhang Ting...

  "Zhang Ting, otherwise let's go for a walk?" I was worried that Zhang Ting would have a shadow after experiencing the incident of jumping off the building, but this little girl is actually very curious, making me laugh and cry at the same time.

  "No, let's listen, Zi Chuan, it seems quite interesting."

  "Huh, a man's guts are really small." The speaker was Lin Yifan, who seemed to seize the opportunity to say this sentence, and I saw those people laugh.

  I wanted to lose my temper, but I endured it instead.

  "Hmm, I'm timid, you guys talk, I'll leave." I stood up and said a few words to them, then turned around in anger wanting to walk away.

  "Zhang Ting, your boyfriend is really stupid!" Lin Yifan's words were getting more and more out of line, I almost wanted to go back and kick him.

  "Get out! What qualifications do you have to call me a man!" Hearing Zhang Ting also stood up and scolded Lin Yifan, I felt a warmth in my heart. Zhang Ting ran over to me.

  "Zihe, don't mind him, come with me to listen for a bit, it can also infuriate Lin Yifan!" Zhang Ting said with a cute expression, I admit that I lost to her, and was pulled by her to go back, Lin Yifan even turned his head.

  "I've heard before that there's a legend about Liu Lake..." The person who suggested telling the story continued, "Liu Lake wasn't always called Liu Lake, it used to be called Liu Ren Lake. Apparently 30 years ago, Liu Lake was plagued by a legend that originated from the village next to Liu Lake."

  In ancient times, poets often used the homophonic words "willow" and "to stay" to express reluctance to part, without realizing that willows are also trees that attract yin energy.

  "There was a pond in that village, the pond connected to the water of Liu Lake... At that time, the water of Liu Lake was still very clear and nurtured the people of that area. As time changed slowly, the villagers learned that it was no longer an agricultural life, so they chose to go out to work..."

  Up to this point, I didn't feel that the ghost story was particularly frightening, but the tone of the man's voice was quite intimidating. Although he hadn't yet gotten to the scary part, it had already made those girls tense up...

  "And at the head of this village, there is a large willow tree. This village has maintained that kind of atmosphere since ancient times. When going out to work, relatives would send him off under the willow tree in the village, and the man would break off a branch to give to his relatives, symbolizing that he would be back soon... Perhaps hearing this, you might think it's no big deal, but..."

  One, two, three...... eight, nine.

  I heard that man suddenly pause for a moment, I raised my head and was about to see what he would say next. Something's off! There were clearly eight people, so why did I count nine?!

  I only saw a hairy thing with red eyes and a black face sitting next to the man listening to him talk.

  It's a water ghost!

  Master had told me about some common ghosts and monsters before, including the Water Ghost.

  What I saw is exactly as Master described!

  "Water ghosts, often die from accidental drowning, with grievances that do not dissipate in the water, and the underworld does not accept them. They can only wait in the water for a substitute ghost to take their place before they have a chance to enter reincarnation... If you encounter this kind of water ghost, ordinary people just don't go into the water and that's all. Because although water ghosts are invincible in the water, on land they're like meat on a chopping board. Do you understand, Zichuan?"

  "Hmm, Master, what if I'm in the water?"

  "In the water, ah... in the water, right in the water, I don't believe that a descendant of my Jiuzi Gate can't even handle a mere water ghost?"

  Memories of the past with Master are still vivid in my mind, Master, where did you go...

  The water ghost can only be seen by me, and it seems that the water ghost saw me staring at him, so he retreated a bit.

  "All of them, divine powers traverse the three realms, ten thousand ghosts converge...... Those who are about to engage in battle all array themselves at the front." In my heart, I silently formed another form of the "Jie" character incantation. The "Jie" character incantation can communicate with ghosts and demons, but also make them submit and hide!

  "Of these, metal, wood, water, fire and earth, three births five elements..."

  "Stop, don't move! I'm just a lonely person, came over to join in the fun, didn't know there was an expert here." The water ghost shook his hand at me, begging me to say...

  "You're also going to join in the fun? I'm telling you, on shore, do you still want to harm people? Get out!!" I silently said to myself, chasing him away. Master once told me that all things have a reason for existence, and don't strike with cruel intentions unless absolutely necessary...

  "Yes...yes.I'm leaving now." And then I saw that water ghost disappear into the water without a trace.

  Willow Lake actually still has water ghosts?

  As I listened, the storyteller continued speaking while I communicated with the water ghost.

  However, the willow tree at the head of the village has been revered as a sacred tree by the villagers for generations. Why? Because legend has it that this willow tree has become a spirit... Those who leave their children in the village and come to pick willow branches can faintly hear a barely audible voice at that moment...

  "Willows broken, flowers fallen, I ask a traveler if you return or not, will you return?"

  "While those who left would always say they'd return, no one ever said they wouldn't. One day, a villager came alone to the willow tree in the middle of the night and plucked a branch."

  Willows are broken, flowers have fallen, I ask a passerby if you will return or not. Will you return?

  He replied with a single sentence: "I won't be back."

  "Why did he say something that doesn't make sense?" Wang Dan asked, voicing all of our confusion.

  "The villager's name was Niu Erhu, and from his name alone, you could tell he was a reckless person. He didn't believe the old man in the village when he told him about it, so he went to the willow tree at midnight to verify it for himself. As a result, he really did hear the sound. He thought he'd try responding once and see what would happen."

  "What's the result?"

  "It is said that after that night, Niu Erhu disappeared, and several days later, the villagers saw a bright red liquid flowing out of the trunk of the willow tree. It was blood, but that's not the point. The point is that a face slowly emerged on the trunk, with all its features vividly displayed. The villagers were frightened, this was the first time such a thing had happened in so many years..."

  I feel like this story is slowly getting to the point...

  As a result, while the village name was feared, the tree bark split open! In an instant, it turned out to be a human head that appeared in front of everyone... with blood flowing from all seven orifices! That person was Niu Erhu! He had been dead for a long time!

  "The willow tree has come to life!" An old man shouted in terror, and all the villagers were shocked. As they were thinking about how to retrieve Cow Erhu's body from the tree, they saw that the trunk of the tree slowly revealed a figure, and the bark also split open! Cow Erhu fell out, but his head was intact with closed eyes and bleeding, while the rest of his body was completely dry and shriveled.

  "It must be Second Tiger who didn't return and offended the Tree Spirit!" the villager said in a panic.

  They took the body of Er Huo, wrapped it in a grass mat and hastily buried it. They were afraid of offending the tree spirit! From then on, no one dared to try saying that they would not return...

  After hearing him finish telling this story, I seemed to have been startled as well... Tree spirit?

  It should be a tree spirit, willow tree becomes spirit, willow lake water ghost? What's going on here?

  I feel that Liu Hu is not so calm.

  "Hmm, you're so convincing, is it true or false?" Lin Yifan finally spoke up.

  "I don't know whether it's true or false, but I do know that the willow tree is really there." The storyteller saw Yi Fan dismantling his stage and hastily said.

  "Oh? Then let's go take a look tomorrow." It was still Lin Yifan, I saw that he was also very uncomfortable, seemingly showing off in front of the girls, and even showing off in front of Zhang Ting... Hehe!

  The girls who were just frightened, including Zhang Ting beside me, also entered the story. When they heard what Yifan said, they surprisingly agreed and even looked delighted. A few of them really didn't know how high the sky was or how thick the earth was. If you were really tree spirits, you wouldn't be able to run away in time.

  "Hey, Zhang Ting's boyfriend, you're not afraid to go, are you?" Damn it, that Lin Yifan again, with his sarcastic tone and raised eyebrow.

  I was about to say I'm not going, but Zhang Ting helped me answer instead. "Go, why not go? Let me tell you, if you call my boyfriend a coward again, I'll beat you to death!"

  Huh? This Zhang Ting, how can she have such an unknown side? But looking at her, she seems quite fierce, and has even intimidated Lin Yifan. This little girl, it turns out she's a different person when dealing with others...

  Heart full of satisfaction!