Strange Tales: The Yin-Yang Celestial Master

Chapter 13 Green Grass

Qi Buyang led Luo Lang through a narrow alley. After turning three or four corners, a small shop appeared in front of him. There was a yellow cloth divination table at the door. Yuan.Sitting crookedly behind the table was a skinny old man dozing off with his head propped up. A small goatee on his chin was shaking gently in the breeze.

They went in.As soon as he heard the sound of footsteps, the old man woke up, and immediately straightened his body, even though his head was still a little dizzy, he quickly stretched out his hand to help him.

"Grandpa Zhang, you are lazy again." Qi Buyang called him.

The old man was not ashamed, stroked his beard calmly and said: "People tend to get sleepy when they get old. There is nothing to do about it." After speaking, he seemed to think of something suddenly, and quickly explained: "You Don't think I don't have any business here! My business is very good, I just went out to have a customer, so I took the opportunity to squint."

"Don't worry, I won't tell grandpa." Qi Buyang comforted with a smile.

Although he is not very clear about the grievances between old man Zhang and his grandfather, he generally knows something.Strictly speaking, old man Zhang is still a branch of the Qi family. When he was young, he and Old Monster Qi were partners, but they broke up for some reason, and they have never liked each other ever since.The reason why Qi Buyang became acquainted with old man Zhang was because of Qi Mu, but now Qi Mu and Feng Baisui have left the world, leaving a silly dog ​​in old man Zhang's shop, so Qi Buyang often comes to visit, By the way, he also visited an old friend for his duplicity grandpa.

At this time, old man Zhang also noticed Luo Lang, and nodded to him, "Mr. Luo is here too."

Luo Lang smiled without saying a word.

Qi Buyang was the first to go to see the golden retriever left by Qi Mu. It was sleeping next to the hexagram table with its tongue lolling. It seemed very happy to see Qi Buyang. It stood up and wanted to wag its tail, but almost fell down.Luo Lang also followed, looking at the golden retriever's appearance, he came to a conclusion: "This dog is really stupid."

"...Don't say that, it will be sad to hear it." Qi Buyang took the dog's head into his arms and rubbed the roots of its ears.

Luo Lang glanced at the golden retriever's blank eyes with disdain, "Does it understand?"

As soon as the words were finished, Jin Mao moved his body, moved his buttocks to Luo Lang's feet, sat down with a bang, and put his head into Qi Buyang's arms.

"..."

Qi Buyang smiled and said: "Look, it can understand."

Luo Lang knelt down, pulled the golden retriever over, and smiled at the dog's head, "Tell me, did you do it on purpose?"

The golden retriever happily licked his hand all over.

"Why does your dog drool so much?" Luo Lang turned his head and complained to old man Zhang.

Old man Zhang replied perfunctorily, "It's normal to have some saliva on your hands, just wipe it off yourself." After speaking, he waved to Qi Buyang.

"What's the matter?" Qi Buyang got up and walked over.

Old man Zhang took a careful look at Luo Lang, making sure that the other party was not looking this way, then lowered his voice and said, "Bu Yang, your 17th birthday is coming soon, isn't it?"

Qi Buyang nodded, "Just three months later." He wondered why he suddenly asked about his birthday.

Old man Zhang mysteriously took out a small bronze mirror from under the divination table and gave it to him, "Take this gossip mirror as a gift from me."

"No, no, I never celebrate my birthday." Qi Buyang pushed the gift back. He had never received a gift before, and he was embarrassed to accept it.

"Hey, your stupid dog wet my clothes with saliva." Luo Lang suddenly said, startling the sneaky two.

Old man Zhang waved his hands and said, "Since the saliva is water, of course it will wet the clothes. What's the fuss about that?"

Luo Lang narrowed his eyes, "What are you two doing there without telling me?"

"It's nothing, nothing. I asked his grandfather how his health is. I've been thinking about that old man lately."

"is it?"

"Yes." Old man Zhang nodded repeatedly, seeing that Qi Buyang didn't respond, he quickly tugged him, and Qi Buyang nodded accordingly.

"So you have that kind of relationship with Xiaoguai Qi." Luo Lang showed a meaningful smile, and continued to play with the golden retriever with his head down.

Old man Zhang stuffed the bronze mirror just now into Qi Buyang's hand, and said: "Hold it carefully, and don't let Luo Lang see it. This thing has spirituality, and it can save your life if necessary."

Qi Buyang nodded, obediently put away his things, thought for a while, and couldn't help asking: "Grandpa Zhang, what kind of relationship do you have with my grandpa?"

"..."

Qi Buyang opened his curious eyes wide and waited for an answer.

"I have nothing to do with him!" Old man Zhang slapped him on the head angrily.

Qi Buyang clutched his head and walked towards Luo Lang aggrieved.

"Have you been beaten?" Luo Lang smiled gleefully, and stretched out his hand to help him rub, "If you want to know, just ask me if you don't."

"You will tell me?" Qi Buyang didn't believe it.

"Of course I will tell you." Luo Lang leaned over and whispered something in his ear, only to see his eyes widen in surprise, and he looked at old man Zhang in disbelief.

"Grandpa Zhang, so you and grandpa... no wonder you never marry a wife!"

"..." Old man Zhang pinched his beard helplessly, "Mr. Luo, please be merciful."

"Isn't it true?" Qi Buyang looked at Luo Lang suspiciously, and then looked at old man Zhang.

Mr. Zhang had a headache and said, "You have been led to ruin by Mr. Luo."

"..."

While talking, a customer suddenly came to the door, Zhang old man hastily straightened his clothes, and sat down in a dignified manner.

A man in a white shirt and tie came in, with a suit jacket on his arm and a green potted plant in his other hand.

"Master, please help!" The man put the potted plant on old man Zhang's hexagram table, "Look at this grass."

The three people in the store all glanced at the unnamed green plant on the table, with tender green branches and drop-shaped green leaves that were round and stretched.

"Well, it's very nice." Old man Zhang said pertinently.

"No," the man shook his head, and urgently lifted the largest leaf, revealing the shriveled root of the plant, and some hidden buds and small leaves that were dry and yellow, looking sickly, "it will soon died!"

"Uh..." Old man Zhang was not sure what the man wanted to say, so he could only follow him and say, "I deeply regret this."

"How can that be done! Master! I came to you just for it! Please save it!" the man begged while hugging the flower pot.

"This... this does not belong to my professional category. You should go to a gardener."

"I've looked, and there's nothing they can do, or even find out what's causing it to fail."

"They don't know, so I don't know." Old man Zhang spread his hands regretfully.

"Master!" The man said quickly, "The reason why I came to you is because I think this grass may not be as simple as an ordinary plant."

"Oh?"

"Actually... this plant died once half a year ago." The man frowned, and said with some hesitation: "You may think I'm crazy, and I'm not even sure about this. At that time I I just wanted to grow some green plants at home. I heard that this plant is easy to grow, so I bought a pot and took it home. But because I was too busy with work, I often forgot to water it. It didn’t take long for it to die. I wanted to throw it away, but the next morning, I suddenly found that it turned green again, and the dehydrated branches and leaves were plumped up, as if they were just bought. I don’t know What happened, how could a dead plant come back to life overnight?"

Old man Zhang stroked his beard and nodded, "This is indeed a bit strange."

"This is not the strangest thing! After it came back to life, I thought it must be a miracle, so I started to raise it carefully, no matter how busy I was, I never forgot to water it, and it grew stronger and stronger. There is Once when I was watering it, its leaves came down and scratched the back of my hand, as if thanking me. I knew it was impossible, and it was just an illusion caused by the wind, but since then, Every time I water it or repot it, it lowers its leaves to touch me, like a sentient animal responding to my care.

Gradually, I would also tell it some of my thoughts. When it comes to sad things, it hangs down its leaves, as if it is sad with me; when it comes to happy things, it straightens its branches again, shaking Shaky and happy for me... You may not believe it, but I really think it understands my words and responds to me specially.After half a year like this, it grew bigger and bigger, and changed many pots during the period. I also regard it as my friend and have been taking good care of it.

But not long ago, it suddenly declined, the roots shrank, the leaves turned yellow and even fell off. I was worried, and I tried many methods to no avail. Seeing that its condition is getting worse day by day, it may be due to urgent medical treatment. I think Thinking, the reason why this grass is so miraculous may be because there are elves living in it, or else it has become a spirit, so I thought of coming to see the master, maybe you will have a way..." The man held the flower Basin, staring anxiously at old man Zhang, "Do you have a solution?Grandmaster? "

"Well..." Zhang old man twitched his beard in a mysterious way, and carefully looked at the plant from head to toe. He already had some concerns in his heart, so he said slowly: "Although there is a way, I don't know whether to take care of it or not." use."

The man hurriedly said: "Since there is a way, let's try it!"

"How about this, you leave this pot of grass with me first, and come to get it tomorrow."

"This..." The man wondered: "Can't we cast the spell now?"

"No, no, that spell is very time-consuming and must be left overnight."

The man frowned and thought about it, then stood up and said, "Well, as long as it can be revived." After finishing speaking, he touched the blade of green grass carefully, as if talking to someone: "Stay here obediently, I'll come pick you up tomorrow."

"Okay, okay, just come over tomorrow afternoon." Old man Zhang waved his hand.

He was still a little worried, and before he left, he confessed: "Master, don't buy another pot to fool me, I can recognize it."

Old man Zhang stared angrily, "What are you talking about! Credit is the most important thing in our business. This old shop has been open for decades and has never been moved. If you feel something is wrong, come to me anytime!"

The man smiled apologetically, and then walked away step by step.As soon as he left, Luo Lang and Qi Buyang surrounded him, old man Zhang saw them clearly and said: "See?"

Qi Buyang nodded, "But I'm not sure, it's the first time I've seen this kind of situation."

Luo Lang grabbed the biggest leaf and turned it over and over again, while suggesting: "Why don't you buy a pot that is exactly the same as he said and return it to him, and give this pot to us for experiments."

Hearing this, the green grass trembled suspiciously.

Qi Buyang quickly stopped his crooked thoughts, "How can that be done! We can't have it!"

Old man Zhang stroked his beard and said to Lucao, "Okay, just come out."

The leaves of the plant shook a few times, and suddenly a translucent figure rose from the top of the plant. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a gentle man with soft brows and eyes, just like this green plant, with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, just knees The shape is hidden below the stem and leaf.

"The elf hiding in this grass is you, right?" Old man Zhang asked half-jokingly.

The other party smiled shyly, "I'm not an elf, I'm just a homeless wandering soul."

"How did you possess a plant?" Qi Buyang asked.

"I used to wander around, but half a year ago, I happened to see this dying plant. I couldn't bear to see it struggling to death. At that time, I was tired of wandering and wanted to find a place to rest. So that night, while the owner was sleeping, I clinged to this green grass, and I planned to leave it until it died, but I didn't expect the effect to be so good, and it came back to life the next day. So I decided to stay , His home is in a high-rise building, and no one usually comes back, so it is very safe, so he stayed for half a year without knowing it."

"Well..." Old man Zhang thought for a while, and analyzed: "Yin Qi and Yang Qi are different forms of vitality. It seems that this water taro plant absorbed the Yin Qi in your soul, so it multiplied overnight. Ye Mao, and it is still growing so strong. However, its lifespan has already passed its limit, and it has regained its vitality only because of your help. It's out of shape, and sooner or later it will be out of my wits."

The ghost nodded, without any surprise on his face, as if he had already expected this result, "During this time, I am obviously feeling weaker and weaker, and the green grass is beginning to show signs of decay, and I know it won't last long gone."

Old man Zhang reminded him: "Although I promised that person to save this plant, all of this is because of you, and you should make the decision." After a pause, he said: "I advise you to Leave early, while you can go now, after a while, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for you to maintain your human form."

The ghost lowered his head and remained silent.

Qi Buyang couldn't help asking: "Grandpa Zhang, is there no other way?"

"Yes, yes, but..." old man Zhang sighed, and said slowly: "You can stay, but you must be integrated with this plant, and share a lifeline from now on, interdependent. It lives you, it dies You die... this is not a good thing."

"I am willing!" the ghost said without hesitation.

"Don't you want to reincarnate?" Qi Buyang asked anxiously.

The ghost shook his head slightly, and said to him: "I have been wandering for too long, and I have already forgotten what happened in my life, and even how I died. There is nowhere to go in the world alone, you Do you know that kind of loneliness? It wasn’t until after possessing this plant that no one talked to me, smiled at me every day, and took good care of me, although I knew that what he saw was just a green grass and didn’t know my existence at all , but I still can’t help but yearn for that kind of warmth... Once I feel the warmth, it’s even harder to bear the loneliness in the past. Reincarnation is meaningless to me, so why don’t I stay with him, no, it should be said that he is with me I."

"You gave up the chance of reincarnation just to become a plant that can't speak or move. Is it... really worth it?"

The other party smiled, with a trace of satisfaction that Qi Buyang couldn't understand: "After such a long time after death, all memories are blurred, only the six months with him impressed me deeply. I think, maybe this is the relationship between me and him. It's his fate, it's not easy to meet, how can he leave so easily."

Qi Buyang felt a bit of inexplicable heartache, opened his mouth to persuade him again, but couldn't speak.

The next day, the man couldn't wait to come to old man Zhang's shop.

"Master, is the spell cast successful?"

"very successful,

"But..." He looked carefully at the plants that had been parted overnight, and frowned, "It's no different from yesterday, is it?"

"Just after casting the spell, you thought it was all right? There must be a healing process. As long as you take good care of it in the future, it can live as long as other plants."

"Really? Thank you Master!"

The man went back holding his baby half-believingly. Looking from the shop, there was still a small half of green leaves exposed at the bend of his hands, swaying gently with his steps.

Seeing this, old man Zhang shook his head, picked up the teapot and took a sip, muttering: "People's hearts, I really can't tell the truth."

That night, the man put his beloved green grass on the bedside table and watched it fall asleep.

When I opened my eyes the next day, I found that the yellowish leaves were really revived, and the green stems were straightened up energetically.

"You're really back!" He couldn't help smiling at it.

The little green grass shook its head slightly, stretched out its leaves and scratched his fingers, as if answering his words——

"Yes, I'm back."