Secrets in the fire
In a remote mountain village, there was a woodcutter named Li Ergou. He was industrious and simple, and his daily life was to chop wood in the forest and go home to cook on the fire. However, in recent times, Li Ergou found that when he burned the fire to cook rice, the meals were always undercooked.
On this day, night fell, and Li Ergou was busy in the kitchen as usual. He lit a fire and prepared to cook. However, no matter how much he added firewood, the flames were still not strong enough, and the food in the pot was not cooked.
"Why is this fire so unprosperous?" Li Ergou muttered, stirring the fire with tongs from time to time.
Suddenly, a dark wind blew, and the fire seemed to be smaller. Li Ergou couldn't help but shudder, he looked around, but found nothing. He tried to make the fire stronger, but no matter how hard he tried, the fire never got up.
Just then, a deep voice sounded in his ears: "Why did you light this fire?"
Li Ergou was startled, looked around but didn't see a figure. He thought he had misheard, so he continued to put his head down and stir up the fire. However, the voice rang out again: "You shouldn't have made a fire here. ”
This time, Li Ergou heard it clearly, he raised his head sharply and looked around. There was no one else in the kitchen but him. He felt a wave of fear hit him, and the tongs in his hand fell to the ground.
"Who? Who's talking to me?" asked Li Ergou in a trembling voice.
There was no response, only the sound of the wind outside the window and the crackling of firewood in the fire. Li Ergou settled down, thinking that maybe he was too tired and hallucinated. He picked up the tongs and prepared to continue the fire.
However, when he looked at the fire again, he was surprised to see what appeared to be a looming human face in the fire. He rubbed his eyes, looked closely, and the face was gone. He thought he was dazzled, so he continued to burn the fire.
But after a while, the face reappeared, and this time more clearly. Li Ergou was so frightened that he took a few steps back and hit the wall of the kitchen. He looked at it, and the face disappeared again.
"This ...... What's going on?" Li Ergou thought in horror.
He plucked up his courage and approached the fire again. This time he saw clearly, the face of the man in the fire was the face of an old man, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyes revealed resentment and anger.
"Who are you, why are you in my fire?" asked Li Ergou boldly.
"You shouldn't have made a fire here," the voice sounded again, "this is my home." ”
Li Ergou was shocked to find that the voice actually came from the face in the fire. He was so frightened that he retreated.
"I ...... I didn't know this was your home," Li Ergou stammered, "I'...... I'll put out the fire, you...... Don't be angry. ”
After saying that, he hurriedly went to fetch water and prepared to extinguish the fire. However, when he returned with water, he found that the faces of the people in the fire had disappeared. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this was the end of the matter.
But when he poured the water down, the fire suddenly exploded, and the flames splashed everywhere. Li Ergou was so frightened that he hurriedly dodged, but fortunately he was not injured. He looked at the fire with trepidation, only to see that the fire was getting smaller and smaller, and finally extinguished.
Where the fire was extinguished, an ancient copper coin appeared. Li Ergou picked up the copper coin, only to see that it was engraved with some ancient words and patterns. He didn't know where the coin came from and what it was used for, but he vaguely sensed that it had something to do with the face in the fire.
Li Ergou walked out of the kitchen with the copper coin and decided to go to the village elders to ask for clarification. When he walked out of the house, a cold wind blew, and he couldn't help but shiver. He glanced back at the fire that had been extinguished, and an inexplicable fear welled up in his heart.
He walked briskly to the house of the village elder, and the copper coin in his hand seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. He didn't know what secret he was going to uncover, but he knew that it was a secret that was close to his life.
The elder of the village was an old man with white hair, and after listening to Li Ergou's narration, he pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.
"This copper coin was left by our ancestors," said the elder, "and legend has it that it was used to suppress an ancient evil spirit." That evil spirit once brought great disaster to the village, and was later suppressed by our ancestors with a spell in this copper coin. It seems that it was you who accidentally touched its seal that gave it a chance to appear. ”
Li Ergou was frightened when he heard this, and he hurriedly asked, "Then what should I do now?"
The elder pondered for a moment and said, "You need to find a Taoist priest who knows how to spell and ask him to help you reseal this copper coin." However, in the meantime, you must not touch it again, lest it cause a greater disaster. ”
Li Ergou nodded again and again after hearing this, indicating that he would definitely act carefully. He said goodbye to the elder and hurried out of the village to find a Taoist priest who knew how to use magic.
In the process of searching for the Taoist priest, Li Ergou experienced many hardships and dangers. He climbed over the mountains, through the forests and the wilderness, and finally came to a Taoist temple. He explained his intention to the Taoist priest, who took the copper coin and looked at it carefully and said, "The evil spirit in this copper coin is very powerful, and I need to prepare some magic weapons and charms to reseal it." ”
The Taoist priest asked Li Ergou to stay in the Taoist temple and wait for a few days to prepare the items needed for the ritual. In the past few days, Li Ergou has been anxiously waiting for the arrival of the ritual. He was always worried that the evil spirit would reappear and bring disaster to him.
Finally, on the day when the ritual began, the Taoist priest took Li Ergou to a arranged altar. The Taoist priest held the magic weapon in his mouth and began to seal the evil spirits in the copper coin, while Li Ergou watched nervously from the side.
As the cast of the Taoist spell, the copper coin began to emit a faint light and trembled, it seemed that the evil spirit inside was struggling to escape the bondage, but the Taoist spell was very powerful, and finally the light of the copper coin gradually weakened and finally disappeared, and the Taoist priest told Li Ergou that the evil spirit had been resealed, so that he could take it back and return it to the village elders with confidence.
Li Ergou returned to the village with the resealed copper coin, he felt more relaxed and relieved than ever, he returned the copper coin to the elder and told his experience, the elder also felt very relieved after hearing it and said that he would keep the copper coin properly and not let it be touched again.
Since then, Li Ergou has never encountered anything strange, and his life has returned to its former peace and tranquility. But that experience was deeply imprinted in his mind and became an unforgettable memory for his life.
Whenever night falls, Li Ergou still thinks of the face looming in the fire and that thrilling experience, he often sighs at the mystery and unknown in the world, and he is glad that he was able to escape.
Now Li Ergou still chops wood and cooks every day to live a simple and ordinary life, but he cherishes the peace and happiness in front of him more than anyone else, because he knows that not everyone has the opportunity to escape the catastrophe like him and have an ordinary life again.
The Secret of the Fire (continued)
Since that terrifying experience, Li Ergou has become more cherished in his current life. He still chops wood, burns fires, and cooks every day, but every time he lights a fire, he is extra careful for fear of touching some incredible existence again.
However, life is always full of unknowns and uncertainties. Just when Li Ergou thought that everything was over and life would return to peace, an unusual night broke the peace again.
That night, the moonlight was shining, and the people in the village had already fallen asleep. Li Ergou was also about to turn off the lights and rest, when suddenly, he heard a strange sound from the kitchen.
"Could it be a mouse?" Li Ergou thought to himself. He picked up his flashlight and cautiously walked to the kitchen. When he opened the kitchen door, he was stunned by what he saw.
I saw that the fire in the kitchen actually burned on its own, and the fire was strong, and the raging flames reflected the entire kitchen. Li Ergou's heart was pounding with fright, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
"How is this possible?" he muttered to himself, "I have already extinguished the fire, how can I burn on my own?"
At that moment, the familiar face reappeared in the fire. This time, the face is much clearer, and even the deep eyes and wrinkled face can be seen clearly.
"You're here again!" Li Ergou exclaimed.
"Yes, I'm back again. The deep voice sounded again, "Do you think you'll be able to escape my grasp?"
Li Ergou felt a wave of fear come over him, and he knew that he might not be able to escape this time. Trying to keep his composure, he asked, "Who the hell are you, and why are you pestering me?"
"I am the guardian here," the voice replied, "this land is my home, and you should not make a fire here." ”
"I'm just an ordinary woodcutter," Li Ergou argued, "I didn't know this was your home. Please let me go!"
"Spare you?" the voice sneered, "You touched my seal and set me free, and now you want me to let you go?"
Li Ergou was speechless, he knew that he might not be able to escape this time. He clutched the flashlight in his hand, trying to find a glimmer of life.
Suddenly, he remembered what the village elders had told him before: "Although that evil spirit is strong, it also has weaknesses. As long as you are able to find its weakness and hit it, it is possible to defeat it. ”
Li Ergou didn't know what this weakness was, but now he could only try his best. He scrutinized the face in the fire, trying to find its weak spots.
At that moment, he noticed a tiny dot of light at the center of the eyebrow of the face. He took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to pick up a stick and poke at the point of light.
At the moment when he poked the point of light, the faces in the fire suddenly let out a scream, and then gradually disappeared into the flames. At the same time, the fire was slowly extinguished.
Li Ergou breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had finally defeated the evil spirit this time. He felt a wave of exhaustion hit him and sat on the floor, gasping for air.
The next morning, Li Ergou told the village elders about last night's experience. After hearing this, the elder sighed, "I didn't expect you to really be able to defeat that evil spirit. It seems that you are really a brave and wise man!"
Li Ergou smiled modestly and said, "Actually, I'm also scared, but I know that if I don't try, I will never be able to get rid of the entanglement of that evil spirit." ”
Since then, Li Ergou has never encountered anything strange, and his life has returned to its former peace and tranquility, and he continues to live a simple and ordinary life, chopping wood, lighting fires, and cooking rice every day. But he cherishes the peace and happiness in front of him more than anyone else, because he knows that this peace is not easy to come by.
However, life is always full of unknowns and variables, and just when Li Ergou thought that everything was over, a new challenge was placed in front of him.
The people of the village began to notice that every night, there were strange sounds around the village, as if someone was singing in a low voice, and as if someone was sobbing softly. The voice was faint, but it was inexplicably terrifying.
Li Ergou also heard these voices, and he decided to find out. One night, he grabbed a flashlight and an axe and quietly walked out of the house. He followed the direction of the sounds, and gradually realized that they seemed to be coming from an old temple near the village.
When he walked into the temple, it was pitch black, with only a few faint oil lamps flickering. He walked cautiously forward, and suddenly, he saw a scene that made him jaw-dropping.
I saw that in the center of the temple, a woman in ancient costume was sitting there, her face was delicate and beautiful, but her eyes revealed deep grief and longing. Beside her were some ancient instruments, which she plucked softly and chanted in a low voice.
Li Ergou didn't know who this woman was, and he didn't know why she was here. He couldn't help but ask, "Who are you, why are you here?"
The woman raised her head and glanced at Li Ergou, a trace of surprise and doubt flashed in her eyes. She stopped the strings in her hand and slowly stood up.
"I am the guardian spirit of this temple," replied the woman, "I have been here for a long time, waiting for a man to arrive. ”
"Waiting for someone?" Li Ergou asked curiously, "Who are you waiting for?"
"Wait for my love," said the woman affectionately, "he left here a long time ago, and went to a distant land. Before he left, he told me that if he could come back one day, he would definitely come back to this temple to find me. But after all these years, he never appeared. ”
After hearing this, Li Ergou couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in his heart. He looked at the infatuated woman in front of him and didn't know what to say. He knew that there were many wonderful things in this world that could not be explained, and perhaps this woman's story was one of them!
He comforted the woman and left the temple. From then on, he would come to the temple every day to chat with the woman and listen to her stories from the past. Gradually, a deep friendship was established between the two. Although Li Ergou couldn't help the woman find her lover, he accompanied her through this lonely time in his own way.
As time passed, the night in the village also returned to peace and tranquility, but Li Ergou never forgot the infatuated woman and the love she was waiting for. He knew that there were many unexplainable wonders in this world, and that perhaps one day the woman's lover would really come back to her!