Chang'an Catching Demons

The heat of Chang'an is always sticky with a mixture of fat powder and wine. Even at dusk, the weeping willows by the Qujiang Pond can't get rid of the heat. Lin Yu, carrying an old cloth bag, stood downstairs in the corner of Dacien Temple, looking at the children of officials and eunuchs and delicate maids coming and going by the pool, frowning slightly. He came down from Zhongnan Mountain three days ago. Before the master was silent, he stuffed him with a bronze bell engraved with the word "Zhen", and only said, "Chang'an is in chaos, and holding the bell is evil", and he didn't say much more. In the past three days, he found a miscellaneous courtyard in Xishi to settle down. During the day, he listened to the market gossip, and at night, he followed the demonic spirit to explore around, but he always felt that the evil was like a shadow in the water and could not catch the real figure. "Have you heard about it? There was another girl who didn't come home last night and disappeared by the Qujiang Pond. Two hawkers carrying loads wiped their sweat and muttered in a low voice, "It's the third one. The government has checked for a few days, but they haven't even found a footprint." "No, some people say... it's the 'things' in the pool that come out to hook people." The copper bell on Lin Yu's fingertips trembled gently. He turned around and walked to Qujiangchi. The rubble on the shore was hot, and there was a burning pain on the soles of his feet. The pool water was dark green, and a few pieces of lotus floated on the water. When the wind blew, it had a faint fishy sweetness, not like the fragrance of lotus, but like... the smell of blood. He took out a yellow charm from the cloth bag, pinched it between his fingers, and walked slowly along the bank of the pool. The rune paper was automatically without wind, and when it passed a reed, it suddenly shook violently. Lin Yu stopped and pushed away the half-man-tall reed - there was a puddle in the swing, the water color was cloudy, and there was a half-broken jade hairpin at the bottom of the water, and a small begonia was carved on the head of the hairpin. "This jade hairpin..." He was about to bend down to pick it up, when suddenly there was a burst of laughter like a silver bell behind him. "This Taoist priest is staring at the puddle in a daze. What treasure is he looking for?" Lin Yu suddenly turned around and saw a girl in a goose yellow skirt standing outside the reeds, playing with a string of candied haws in her hand, her eyebrows curled, with a simple look of not knowing the world. She was followed by two maids, all staring at him with vigilant faces. "The poor Taoist is not a Taoist priest, but just a Taoist priest." Lin Yu put away the yellow charm, "The girl is here late at night, isn't she afraid of danger?" "Dangerous?" The girl blinked, "What danger can compare with my father's board in Chang'an City? I'm not afraid if I sneak out to see the lamp. As she said, her eyes fell on the bronze bell in Lin Yu's hand. "Your bell is unique. Can I have a look?" Just as Lin Yu was about to refuse, the copper bell suddenly "buzzed" and made a dull sound. I don't know when a thin layer of white fog appeared on the water behind the girl. There was a faint shadow in the fog, slowly approaching the shore. "Be careful!" Lin Yu pulled the girl behind him and patted the yellow charm to the surface of the water at the same time. The rune paper fell into the water and burned. In the firelight, the shadow suddenly pulled up, revealing a pale and swollen face. The long hair was scattered like water grass, and the wet claws were grasping the back of the girl's neck! "Ah--!" The maid screamed. Lin Yu bit his fingertips, put the blood on the copper bell, and raised his hand to shake the shadow. Dingling--" The bell sounded clear and penetrated. The black image was like being pricked by a needle, making a sharp hiss, retracting back into the water, and the water surface returned to calm in an instant, as if nothing had happened. The girl grabbed Lin Yu's sleeve in shock: "So, what is that?" "Watery." Lin Yu looked at the dark pool water and said, "It was transformed by the woman who died in the water in vain, who maintained her form by sucking the essence of the living person." He picked up the half jade hairpin, "I'm afraid the owner of this jade hairpin has been killed." The girl looked at the jade hairpin, and her face turned a little white: "This begonia hairpin... I recognize it. It's the third lady of the mandarin Wang Zhilang family. I saw her at the lantern fair a few days ago." Lin Yu's heart sank. The one who disappeared three days ago was the lady of Wang Zhilang's family. "Who are you?" The girl calmed down and looked at him again. "It depends on your ability, not like an ordinary Taoist priest." "Under Lin Yu." "My name is Su Yao." The girl straightened up and patted his arm, "Taoist priest Lin, since you can deal with that scud, why don't you help find the missing person? If my father knew that I could help, he might not punish me. Before Lin Yu could answer, there was a sound of horses' hooves in the distance, and the light of the torch swayed closer. It's King Wuwei!" Su Yao hid behind the reed in a panic, "Don't say I'm here!" The leading Jinwuwei lieutenant stopped the horse. Seeing Lin Yu, he frowned and shouted, "Who are you sneaking here late at night?" Lin Yu showed the bronze bell: "Poor Lin Yu, here is to trace the traces of the water, which is related to the disappearance of three women." The lieutenant obviously didn't believe it. Just as he was about to order someone, white fog suddenly appeared in the pool. This time, the fog was even thicker, and it condensed into several claws and grabbed Jin Wuwei on the shore! "Let's do it!" Lin Yu whispered and threw the copper bell into the air. The bell rang loudly, the white fog dissipated in an instant, and the claws turned into water vapor and disappeared. The lieutenant's face suddenly changed and he strangled the restless horse: "You... can really defeat demons?" Lin Yu catched the fallen bronze bell: "If the lieutenant can trust the poor way, he can bring thirty strong guards to wait here tonight. The water will definitely come again tonight, and it can be captured at that time. In the reeds in the distance, Su Yao secretly poked her head out and looked at Lin Yu's back, with a trace of excitement in her eyes. She whispered to the maid, "There is a good play to watch tonight. We can't miss it." In the Qujiang Pond of Zishi, most of the moonlight was covered by dark clouds, and the water surface was glowing. Lin Yu stood on the shore. The charm in the cloth bag was ready. The copper bell was held in his hand, and it was slightly hot. Jin Wuwei and the others held torches, did not dare to be arrogant, and stared at the water. Suddenly, the pool water "cooed" and a blister appeared. Then, countless blisters surged one after another, and the water surface surged violently. The pale and swollen figure emerged again. This time, she no longer covered it. Her long hair spread on the water, like a huge net, spreading towards the shore. "It's right now!" Lin Yu threw out all the yellow charms in his hand, and the charm paper was connected into a fire in the air, blocking the way of the long hair. With my blood, lead the thunder to break the evil!" He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of blood on the copper bell, and the bell turned into an invisible net, covering the water. Shui Chong let out a sad scream, and his body twisted in the firelight, gradually revealing his original appearance - it turned out to be a young woman in a wedding dress with a silver hairpin in her chest, and her blood dyed her white wedding dress. "What a cruel heart..." Lin Yu looked at the silver hairpin and suddenly understood something. At this moment, Su Yao sneaked over with her maid. Seeing this scene, she couldn't help whispering, "It's the daughter of Zhang's tailor's family who threw into the river last year! The day before she got married, she was found dead in the pool. At that time, she said she committed suicide..." Shuiqi's eyes fell on Su Yao, and suddenly shouted bitterly, "It's not suicide! It's him! He killed me!" Her claws pointed to a house not far away, which was the residence of the chamberlain of the ceremonial department. Jin Wuwei's face changed: "Tailor Zhang's daughter... was the son of the servant of the servant family back then!" The figure of the water gradually faded in the bell. She finally glanced at the courtyard, which turned into a little water light and dissipated in the pool. Lin Yu put away the bronze bell, looked at the direction of the chamberlain's house, and frowned more tightly. Although this water is an evil thing, it has a resentment, and obviously there is another hidden feeling behind it. And the copper bell, after the water dissipated, was still trembling slightly, as if to remind him that the mystery of Qujiangchi was not over. Su Yao walked to him and kicked the stone under his feet: "Taoist Lin, it's time to go to the chamberlain's house next, right? I know where the back door is. Lin Yu looked at the sky, and the east was already white. Let's talk about it at dawn." He said, "But I'm afraid the demons in Chang'an are not only this one in the pool." The copper bell rang softly again, as if in response to his words. The outline of the imperial city in the distance gradually became clear in the morning light, and the shadow hidden under the prosperity had just begun.