荒墟牧神 - 第30章 舊怨循蹤入荒墟 - 錦書坊

Shen Mu put away the gold ingot and said, "Big fellow, focus on your cultivation. I'll come back for you tomorrow. Whatever you do, don't go into the side hall—that demon is crafty!" The Xuan Liao Demon Ape nodded. Shen Mu set out for the village at once, and before long he reached the outskirts of Hidden Remnant Village. From a distance he saw two paper boats moored in midair at the village gate, and a paper crane perched beneath the tree by the entrance; but the boats and the crane all stood empty—the newcomers must already have gone in. He walked into the village and saw the old man who had spoken from the boat sitting opposite the village head, saying, "I heard that Granny Zhu of your village has excellent skill with her hands, so I came to ask her to cut out a few garments." The village head asked, "What kind of garments would you like, and in what sizes?" The old man said, "I need burial clothes, nine sets in all. Cut them according to the measurements of your villagers. I also hear Master Huo is quite a fine carpenter, so I must trouble him to make nine coffins, with their lengths also based on your figures." Suddenly the old man caught sight of Shen Mu approaching, showed surprise, and changed his words: "I misspoke—ten burial clothes and ten coffins. Yan Qing, pay the deposit." The man named Yan Qing stepped forward and gave a slight wave. A paper boat from the village entrance drifted over and landed beside the village head, and Shen Mu saw that its cargo was nothing but unlucky objects: spirit money, paper ingots, candles, mourning staffs, white funeral banners, and the like. The old man told him to moor the boat at the village entrance, then said, "This is the deposit for the ten burial clothes and ten coffins. May I ask whether Granny and Master Huo can finish them today? To be honest, I am in a hurry." The lame old man, the blacksmith, the alchemist, and the others had each been busy with their own work, but now all fell silent. Granny Zhu came over with unsteady steps and said with a smile, "Ten burial clothes, and you want them today? Guest, that's a bit rushed." Master Huo came over and said coldly, "I work fast. The coffins can be done today. Can the old gentleman wait?" The old man laughed. "It is a bit rushed, but all of you are capable people—surely you can manage." Granny Zhu glanced at the paper ingots and candles on the boat, gave a cold laugh, and said, "If you're in a hurry to wear them, I can make them right now. As it happens, I bought some cloth a few days ago." The old man inclined his body and said, "I'll trouble Granny, then." Granny Zhu went back into her house, brought out several bolts of cloth, and tossed them with a flick of her wrist. The bolts floated in midair, and a pair of scissors flew out of her basket on its own, snipping snip-snip through the air. Before long, the shapes of garments took form. Silver needles flew out of the little basket one after another, threading themselves and drawing thread, darting back and forth in the air with a whisking sound, and soon the burial clothes were all sewn up. Master Huo, meanwhile, went out of the village to the great willows by the river. Green qi flew from between his fingers and whirled around the willow trees with a hissing sound; in no time the massive trunks were cut into white-wood coffins, which flew over and landed at the village entrance. Granny Zhu's garments were finished as well. The old woman waved lightly, and the burial clothes each settled onto a coffin. Master Huo strode over and said coldly, "Since you brought no small amount of money, we made two extra coffins for free—twelve in all, made to measure. When you lie down in them, I guarantee they won't be an inch too long or a hair too short! Is the old gentleman satisfied?" Granny Zhu laughed. "This old woman also made two extra burial suits at no charge, guaranteed to fit." The old man chuckled. "Satisfied, satisfied." Shen Mu found the atmosphere growing more and more sinis