Ranked as an immortal?!
Zong Jiu narrowed his eyes and continued to ask.
The Ghost Messenger pondered for a moment, and told Zong Jiu everything that he knew. He explained the sequence of events clearly to Zong Jiu.
There were some things that mortals couldn't unravel and couldn't find any clues.
But to the ghost servants of the underworld, there were very few things in the world that they did not know. After all, humans could lie, but the dead could not. Nothing could be hidden from the mirror in front of the King of Hell's palace.
What's more, this matter had caused widespread discussion in the underworld. Three years ago, it was also a big matter that the ghosts talked about.
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The old woman's surname was Wang. She had no children for many years. Her husband passed away early. After she grew old, she lived alone in the mud house behind the old locust tree in Tong Bai Village.
At that time, there were not many people in Tong Bai Village who believed in Buddhism. There was only one dilapidated temple behind the village.
But the story of a Bodhisattva who became a Buddha here was passed down from generation to generation in the village.
After the Bodhisattva ascended, he enlightened a piece of land in the village. The color of this piece of land was different from the rest of the yellow soil. It was dark red. No matter what plants were transplanted on it, they could not survive. Legend had it that if a plant grew on this piece of land one day, it would be an immortal herb that could allow one to become immortal after eating it.
But in the end, everyone only treated it as a story to be told after a meal. If they really believed it, no one would believe it. After all, the entire village had guarded that piece of Bodhisattva land for hundreds of years, but there was no sign of green on it.
The farmers faced the yellow soil with their backs to the sky. If they had the ability to believe in Buddhism and recite scriptures, they might as well plow two more pieces of land.
The old woman was the only person in Tong Bai Village who believed in Buddhism.
No one in the village was willing to take care of that piece of Bodhisattva land, so the old woman took care of it alone. Every day, she worked at sunrise and rested at sunset. She cleaned the dilapidated temple and took care of the Bodhisattva land.
Others laughed at the old woman behind her back, but she did not care. She only smiled and said that she believed in Buddhism and did not feel tired.
Just like that, ten years passed like a day, and the days passed just like that.
It was strange. It was indeed difficult for the old people in the village to live to sixty. However, the old woman was still hale and hearty in her sixties. She did not look old at all. She could even walk around with a hoe. It was amazing.
Coincidentally, the famine broke out that year.
First, the heavens were not on their side, and there was a drought for an entire year. It was another locust plague. Not a single grain was harvested, and the people had no way of making a living.
With no food to eat, he slaughtered the pig that his family had prepared for the New Year. After the pig finished eating, it was time to eat the chaff. There were no more chaff, so he could only dig up some wild vegetables. In the end, the villagers were so hungry that they peeled off the tree bark and ate it. A large number of trees in the forest died.
At night, the hunger was unbearable. Everyone found strips of cloth to wrap around their stomachs to tighten their stomachs.
One night, the Bodhisattva in heaven gave the old lady a dream.
The Bodhisattva stepped on the auspicious clouds, and his body was covered in rainbow-colored light. Accompanied by the fairy child, the dream was a vast expanse, and celestial music floated in the air.
"You and I are connected by fate. I've seen all the contributions you've made over the years. Why don't you go to that place?"
"Remember, that item of fate is extremely Yang in nature, and it's an immortal item that the human body can't bear. After taking it, you need to eat a certain amount of Yin Bodhisattva soil every day. You don't need too much, just a pound is enough. After a year, your merit will be complete, and you will be directly ranked as an immortal. "
With that, Bodhisattva left.
The day after she woke up, it was still dark. The old lady put on some clothes and went out with a lamp.
Sure enough, in the barren Bodhisattva soil, a stalk of immortal grass was quietly standing there. Its whole body was covered in a faint brilliance, brighter than the cold moonlight.
The old lady knew that she had met a real immortal. She gratefully kowtowed on the ground, thanking the Bodhisattva for his blessing.
The old lady took the immortal grass, and found that her ears were suddenly clear and her eyes were bright, and her body was as light as a swallow. In the past, she felt tired carrying water, but now she could carry a bucket with one hand and walk as if she was flying. Even the wrinkles on her face were smoothed out a lot, and her appearance was completely new.
The most important thing was, after eating the immortal grass, the old lady found that she only needed to follow the Bodhisattva's instructions and take a small amount of Bodhisattva soil every day. Then she could maintain a full day without eating anything else.
For people who lived in the famine era, this was simply a big surprise.
Speaking of this, Ghost Messenger couldn't help but sigh, "This granny is also a person of great fortune. You should know, since the Ming Dynasty Liu Bowen severed the dragon vein, the immortal world and the human world were almost cut off. Wanting to become an immortal in the mortal world can be said to be more difficult than difficult. If not for great destiny and great merit, people wouldn't dare to think about it. "
Going back to the story, he continued to say that the old lady was a kind-hearted person. Now that she was favored by the Bodhisattva, not only did she not show off her strength, but she became more low-key and did good deeds.
Since she only needed to eat Bodhisattva soil every day, the old lady gave her food and a small amount of harvest to the villagers.
For example, the malnourished children in the village who didn't have enough to eat, or the newly married daughter-in-law of the village head who was lacking in nutrition.
But over time, this matter attracted the attention of the other people in the village.
Each person and each household only received a small amount of food every month, which was not enough for one person to eat their fill. How could a mere old lady take out so much food to share with others?
So the villagers secretly followed the old lady, and found that the old lady would eat a handful of Bodhisattva soil every day. As long as you eat the Bodhisattva soil, you don't need to eat for a day.
'Eating that soil can fill your stomach.'
This news swept the entire village in an instant, and the villagers rushed to eat the Bodhisattva soil.
The originally thick piece of land was almost dug up until there was almost nothing left.
But the Bodhisattva soil was an item of extreme yin. As soon as the human body ate it, vomiting and diarrhea would be light. After eating it, there were many people who had their souls out of their bodies at night.
The villagers ate it for a few days, and found that the Bodhisattva soil didn't have the effect of filling the stomach as they imagined. Instead, it made them on the verge of death, and they flew into a rage.
In their eyes, the old lady was a sinner who was hiding something. She didn't want to tell them such a good thing, and they wanted to ask her.
The old lady was even more bitter but couldn't speak. There was only one immortal herb, and the Bodhisattva told her not to reveal the heavenly secret, so she didn't know where to start.
The hungry villagers didn't listen to her explanation. Seeing the old lady stubbornly resisting, they directly locked her in the house.
They nailed the old house with wooden boards, leaving only a small gap.
After doing all this, the villagers fiercely said: 'Since you don't want to say, then let us see if you're still alive after seven days!'
The Ghost Messenger let out a long sigh, "This is really hard on that old granny."
"At that time, the Bodhisattva said that although she didn't need to eat extra food every day, she still had to eat the Bodhisattva soil. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to control the immortal herb's yang energy. What's more, even if she ate the immortal herb, she's still a mortal. How can a mortal not eat for seven days? "
So after seven days, the villagers opened the wooden boards again to take a look.
Half of the wall was scratched by the old lady due to her extreme hunger. The house was a mess, and she was lying in the middle with a painful expression. She had already fallen unconscious.
The villagers went up to check and found that the old lady had only fainted. Her whole body was burning hot, but she was really not dead.
At this time, the news of the Bodhisattva's manifestation in Tong Bai Village had already spread. People from a hundred miles away knew about it, and there was no lack of people with special abilities who came to take a look.
Among them, there was a treacherous old lady.
This old lady was very vicious. Seeing that she didn't get the immortal herb, she came up with a vicious plan.
She instigated the villagers, telling them that if they ate the immortal herb, they would be able to fill their stomachs and live forever. On the other hand, she told them that it was a pity that there was only one immortal herb, and it was eaten by the old lady alone.
At that time, the villagers of Tong Bai Village saw that the old lady didn't die even though she hadn't eaten a single grain of rice for seven days, so they naturally believed her words.
In addition, they ate the Bodhisattva soil for more than half a month, so the Yin energy in their bodies gathered, unintentionally magnifying the evil thoughts in their hearts.
The old lady then took the opportunity to fan the flames. In Journey to the West, eating Tang Seng's meat would allow one to live forever, so they might as well follow suit. In the future, not only would they be able to eat their fill, they would also be able to live as long as the heavens. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
This inhumane suggestion was unanimously praised by the villagers.
They chose a dark and windy day, and set up a large pot in the open air in the center of the village. They lit a fire below and threw the old lady into the boiling water. They added oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, mixed with wild vegetables, and stewed a pot of delicious meat soup.
It was strange. She was clearly an old lady over fifty years old, but the meat was incomparably delicious. It was smooth and tender, like the world's most delicious delicacy. It made people addicted with just one bite, and from then on, they would think about the taste of human flesh day and night.
The ghost envoy said, "Granny Yin had originally agreed with the villagers to exchange her soul with the old lady. However, no one expected that after the pot of meat soup was finished, the entire Tong Bai Village seemed to be covered in a layer of dark shadow, and the old lady's soul also disappeared without a trace. "
Other people weren't clear, but the ghost envoys were very clear.
If an ordinary person were to encounter this kind of thing, perhaps they would be filled with resentment, and turn into a malicious spirit to demand the lives of the entire village.
However, the old lady's soul only chanted 'Amitabha' a few times, shook her head, and directly ascended on the spot, becoming an immortal.
Originally, the scene of her ascending on the spot should have caused a vision of heaven and earth. However, the villagers plotting to murder the old lady was truly unforgivable. Unexpectedly, even the heavens couldn't stand by and watch, and forcibly withheld the rain from the heavens.
Seeing the cold wind rising on the spot, the villagers were all scared out of their wits. They hurriedly set up a memorial tablet for the old lady under the guidance of Granny Yin, so as to prevent the old lady from turning into a malicious spirit to demand their lives.
"How stupid are those mortals."
The ghost envoy sneered, "It's said that after they ate the old lady's flesh, not only were they unable to fill their stomachs once and for all, they even contracted the bad habit of eating human flesh. Not only that, they even continued to eat the clay from the Bodhisattva. "
"After committing such an evil deed, and accumulating too much Yin energy in their bodies, the villagers all turned into malicious spirits draped in human skin. In the future, if they were to die, they would have to go down to the eighteenth layer of hell to atone for their sins. "
Hearing that. Zong Jiu let out a long sigh.
No wonder.
No wonder Zong Jiu was able to draw the Death God's Reverse Position at the old mud house.
The old lady's death was indeed true, but she miraculously came back to life, and ascended on the spot.
That day, Zong Jiu had drawn the Moon Card at the fork in the road. The deception it referred to wasn't the old village chief's deception, but also Granny Yin's lies. That conversation was clearly a meticulously planned deception.
Whether it was the old village chief, Granny Yin, the woman, or Wang Shou.
Ever since they entered the instance, none of the living people they met were telling the truth.
From the beginning, Granny Yin had taken the initiative to provide clues that misled them.
Many times, the trainees were able to find traces of contradictions in the villagers' words.
However, they were prejudiced and placed Granny Yin, the person who took the initiative to provide clues, in the position of a helpful NPC. They never thought that she was the main culprit behind all this.
No wonder the difficulty of this instance was so high. No wonder they were on the verge of being wiped out on the third day even though they had seven days.
They had the wrong evidence, and no matter how they walked, they couldn't turn to the right path.
… This person used words to guide people's hearts without leaving a trace, bewitching people's hearts, and was keen on stirring up trouble and fanning the flames. Yet, she stood alone and watched the fire from the other side of the river, appreciating the pain and ugliness of humans in desperate situations.
Zong Jiu was now a hundred percent sure who was playing the role of Granny Yin. He smiled kindly.
After thinking it through, he hurriedly nodded at the ghost envoy. Just as he was about to go back and settle the score, he was stopped.
The ghost envoy said, "Wait, you're now a person who has been sold to the underworld, where else do you want to go?"
Zong Jiu, "…?"
Seeing his clueless and confused look, the pity in the ghost envoy's eyes became even more intense.
Perhaps it was because he wanted him to be a ghost who understood the situation, the ghost envoy patted his shoulder, "Are you stupid? Didn't I just tell you that the main culprit is Granny Yin? Oh, it's the one outside. "
"She's much smarter than those short-sighted villagers. She knows that eating human flesh will increase her sins, and eating Yin soil will corrode her mind and reduce her to a ghost. So, from the beginning, Granny Yin didn't walk these two paths. "
Zong Jiu had a flash of inspiration.
A perfect corpse. That's right, a perfect corpse definitely refers to a person who has never eaten human flesh or Yin soil before.
"That Granny Yin often brings people down. Now that the underworld is short of manpower, passing through the two realms of Yin and Yang will damage the spiritual bodies of ordinary ghosts. She usually brings living souls down to exchange for more lifespan. Now that it's a special period, the King of Hell also turns a blind eye to it. "
Seeing that he was speechless, the ghost envoy comforted him, "Don't worry, those villagers have turned into ghosts, so naturally they'll set their sights on Granny Yin who also worships Buddha. Our treatment in the underworld is also not bad. As long as you work hard, you might be promoted in the future. "
That's right, that's why the mission failed on the third day. It turns out that those villagers rushed into the temple and stewed Granny Yin.
After stewing, they naturally shared it. No wonder the two main missions failed at the same time. So it was because of this.
Zong Jiu's body was still in the human realm. As everyone knows, if the soul left for too long, that body would become a real corpse.
When the time for the instance dungeon ended, the main system would definitely judge him as dead instead of being eliminated from the mission failure. In that case, he would be directly obliterated.
This time, he was really swindled by the devil.
It was also a gift from the devil in return after he tore off the devil's puppet line and caused all kinds of trouble for the devil.
Zong Jiu sneered.
He flipped his hand and took out the Soul Absorbing Bell. With a sincere expression, he said, "Sir, I'll leave this behind as collateral. You're a magnanimous person, how about you let me go through the back door?"
The ghost envoy looked a little hesitant. "Your Soul Absorbing Bell is not bad, but its grade is a little low. I can't explain it to the King of Hell …"
His words froze in midair.
Because the white-haired youth opposite him took out a large amount of hell coins and casually asked him if it was enough.