Chapter 191 Hundred Charms

Pingyang Lake is the downstream water system of the Li River, and Jiangxinzhou is located at the intersection with the Li River. The land island in Jiangxin Island is shaped like an elongated plum. Small islands like this in the center of the river are mostly made up of piles of sand and gravel protruding out of the water. In addition, there are also some underwater mountains protruding out of the water.

Every river center island is unstable. The sand and gravel gathered on the water surface may be washed away by floods, or they may be submerged when the water level moves up.

After He Ping and Liu Yu landed on the island, they looked up and looked around. The island in the middle of the river occupies a very large area. The vegetation on the island is dense, lush and full of vitality.

If it were daytime, this would be a place with pleasant scenery, but it happened to be late at night. There had just been a cold rain, and there were no people around. The surrounding light was weak and dim, and the atmosphere became a bit cold and desolate. .

Liu Yu first looked at the Jiangxin Island, and then glanced in the direction of the lake. The small boat with a black awning had already sailed away.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the pale moonlight fell down. The moon is also like an empty eyeball without whites, staring straight at the lake. On the sparkling lake, at a glance, the other shore cannot be seen at all.

Holding a lantern in his hand, he turned around and looked at the jungle in front of him. He couldn't help but take a breath and said, "I think this place is a bit evil. Master, what about you?"

He Ping held a folding fan and smiled: "It's just that the gloomy scenery here has affected your consciousness, and what the old man said has made you more or less afraid. Let's go first." Go find the residence of the painter surnamed Wu and pay homage to the former residence of this national painter..."

This Jiangxin Island is the location on the map drawn in "Biao Deer Dream Pen". He Ping sent people to investigate and found that there was nothing abnormal on the island. After searching according to the map, he only found a mansion that had been abandoned for many years.

On the other hand, He Ping sent people to the county government to investigate the county annals and various files. He found that the residents on the island were from a family named Wu. The head of the family was Wu Qingsheng, a well-known figure in the painting world. .

This man's painting skills are astonishing, and he studied under Nanyue Sect, the master of Dayou painting circle. He is recognized as the "Southern Master" of painting and has many disciples studying under him. Nanyue Sect himself was good at painting landscapes, and also liked to paint old jackdaw trees, strange rocks and wild grasses in a freehand way.

His ink is vivid and vigorous, the mountains and rocks are outlined with light ink, and his brushwork is vigorous and calm. His paintings are extremely popular. It can be said that one painting of his is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Because of his great reputation, people come to his door every day to ask for paintings. The person who bought the painting, Mr. Nanyue Zong, had no choice but to change his residence three times, and he was also a good talker among the public.

Wu Qingsheng is just the opposite. He specializes in meticulous painting, and his brushwork is extremely colorful. The structure of his paintings emphasizes the lifelikeness of the spirit and form, which is exactly the opposite of the teachings of his teacher. He does not sell many treasures, but once he is asked about it, he is well received.

However, compared with his master Nanyue Sect, Wu Qingsheng's reputation is not very famous. He only got a glimpse in the painting world and disappeared without a trace.

Among the few treasures he left behind, only nine such as "Autumn Evening" and "Pictures of Butterflies and Birds" have been handed down to the world, and his life experience was pitiful.

According to the records in Longhe County archives, this painter, who enjoyed a low reputation in the painting world, moved his family to Longhe County, Jinhe Continent in his later years and lived on this Jiangxin Continent, which should have been thirty or forty years ago.

However, not long after the Wu family lived here, the mansion was burned to the ground by a fire. Wu Qingsheng's family suffered the Zhurong disaster for no reason, and the whole family was burned to death.

The people sent to the island investigated for a long time, but found nothing. They did find the half-burned mansion on the island. Unfortunately, other than that, they did not get any clues about the so-called "Heritage of Immortal Painting".

He Ping thought for a while and guessed that it might be because the people who came to the island were all mortals and might not be able to sense the secret of the inheritance of the Painting Immortal Way, so he went to the island to investigate in person.

"Mr. Wu's old residence should be near here," He Ping stepped on the muddy road and strode forward. Behind him, Liu felt an indescribable chill in his heart, and his eyes looked around. , I only felt that the shadow of the tree in front was extremely dark, and it gave people a very strange feeling.

"What a weird person, why would he move his family to a place like this..."

He followed He Ping. The two walked a few steps and crossed an avenue. They saw a lonely dilapidated mansion deep in the avenue.

It was extremely dark at this time, and the abandoned mansion was surrounded by some sparse trees. But as soon as one saw the decayed eaves, peeling tiles, and two blackened wooden doors, one knew that this was the The mansion they were looking for.

"Is this the Wu family's mansion?"

He Ping also held a lantern in his hand. When he raised his head again, the Wu family's mansion, which was mostly burned to ashes, appeared in front of him. There were sparse mulberry trees growing near the mansion.

The mulberry leaves are also densely packed. As a gust of cold wind blows, the wind shakes the leaves of the miscellaneous trees, making waves of low and sharp whistles, like countless ghosts howling and crying. The branches and leaves of the mulberry trees are shaking, and they are quite showing their teeth and claws. The smell is like hundreds of phantoms...

He Ping and Liu Yu felt vaguely uneasy, and they took a few more steps forward. Their steps were very heavy, and their boots were covered with mud.

The abandoned mansion in front of them had turned into a sea of ​​mud. The wooden parts were either burnt or eroded by the overgrown grass, and the advantages had been corroded and fallen away.

The burned walls turned gray and black. Some of them were still there, some were half collapsed, and some were completely collapsed. It seemed that this courtyard wall was surrounded by wind and fire bricks. , now like some jagged teeth.

The old mansion of the Wu family was dead, gloomy, and in ruins. It didn't have the feeling of being inhabited by people in the past, but only had that chilly feeling that made people's bones tremble.

There was also an indescribable strange smell floating in the air, like something that had been left moldy for a long time.

At this time, He Ping's eyes seemed to be attracted by something. He raised the lantern in his hand and looked towards a wall. That should be the white wall of Wu Mansion's former garden. It turns out that there is a mural on the wall.

"mural?"

Liu Yu was also surprised, but the moment he saw this mural, a special chill suddenly came from his limbs, and his heartbeat slowed down for half a beat as if it had failed.

"Are these murals so weird?"

There were densely packed human figures on the mural, which seemed to be painted with charcoal and soot, but the images were very realistic. However, there was one thing that puzzled him, that is, all the people in the mural only had their backs exposed.

"Backs, why are they all just backs? Why doesn't anyone show their front?"

——Yes, the people in the painting are all facing away from the picture, only their backs are exposed.

Through the dim light of the lantern, the more Liu Yu looked carefully, the more frightened she felt. The human figures on the wall were old and young, men and women, and they were painted very delicately and with extraordinary brushwork.

However, the human figures of men, women, old and young in these paintings only have backs and no fronts, which seems a bit strange.

Involuntarily, he thought of the bizarre rumors about the island told by the old boatman, and became a little nervous.

"Sir," Liu Yu tried her best to dispel the messy thoughts and said to He Ping, "Don't you think these paintings are a bit strange?"

He Ping didn't look back, he just asked.

"Strange? What's strange?"

He was very close to the wall, lighting the painting with a lantern and looking at it carefully.

"that is……"

Liu Yu was about to speak when suddenly he found that the air around him had become very cold and stuffy, as if it was frozen around him, and even his breathing was a little short.

Wait, there seems to be something wrong with Young Master's voice...

Boom! !

Amidst the sound of thunder, a flash of lightning suddenly lit up in the sky. He raised his head and looked forward, and suddenly found that the figure of He Ping standing in front of him had become extremely unfamiliar.

Inexplicably, the thoughts in his mind were extremely confusing for a while.

"Who...is this person?"

"He is Mr. He, but his height and body shape are obviously taller?"

"This isn't right...it's really not right...it seems like things have gotten a little out of control since I came to this island..."

Liu Yu could no longer suppress the depression in his heart. He took a few steps back. In his heart, he just wanted to escape from here!

at this time--

He Ping, who was staring at the mural, suddenly spoke. He asked Liu Yu: "When you say it's strange, do you mean this painting? Tell me, what's strange about it?"

Surprisingly, He Ping's tone became lazy, dry, and hoarse. He continued to ask in this strange and mutated voice: "Say! Why don't you say it?"

Liu Yu felt a chill in his heart, and it suddenly became clear to him that the person in front of him was definitely not He Ping.

"Being transferred? When did it happen... But with the master's magical power, how can he be easily tricked!"

He originally wanted to run away, but his feet seemed to be "nailed" in place by nails, and he could hardly move.

At the same time, Liu Yu found that the surroundings had become extremely cold. The coldness penetrated into the body from the limbs and bones, causing large goose bumps to appear on the body involuntarily, and the hairs all over the body suddenly stood up!

"talk!"

He Ping's voice became fierce.

"Liu Yu! Why don't you speak?"

"Tell me...what is this strange thing you are talking about?"

"Do you want to pretend to be stupid? If you don't make it clear today, you won't be able to leave here..."

His voice sounded like thunder, sweat broke out on Liu Yu's forehead, and he could only shout.

"The people in these paintings don't look back, they have their backs turned to others. This, this is very strange!"

"Is it weird?"

He Ping's voice became smaller, and he didn't look back. He just stretched out his hand and pointed at the wall.

"Maybe it's not surprising, you might as well take another look -"

Following his finger, Liu Yu looked over and saw that all the human figures on the wall had changed.

Click!

Another bolt of thunder and lightning flashed across, illuminating the painting wall brightly.

The figures of men, women and children held hands with each other and twisted their bodies. A bare face with no facial features looked towards Liu Yu.

"No, no face?"

Liu Yu let out a scream, stepped back, and fell into the muddy rain.

"Yeah?"

He Ping smiled and turned around, holding a lantern in one hand and pointing at his face with the other hand.

"Look...are they the same as me?"

His face also had no facial features, and was as smooth and pale as a blank slate.

ah! !

Liu Bai finally couldn't hold back his fear and let out a piercing scream. After a moment, his scream became extremely shrill, and finally stopped completely, as if the thread had been disconnected.

…

The shrill screams rang out from Jiangxin Continent and did not spread on the lake. They were interrupted like a piece of music with a broken string.

When the old boatman sitting in the awning boat heard the screams, he just smiled slightly, put down his bamboo pen, and sat back on the boat. He took out his dry pipe and took a few puffs, humming in a hoarse voice. I made a little tune and took out a scroll from my arms.

With a bang, the scroll was spread out, and the paintings were filled with faceless human figures. The paintings were densely packed with figures without facial features or faces.

"If we gather twelve more people, we will be able to gather the number of people for this 'Hundred Charms Painting'... This art of painting a hundred ghosts can be accomplished with only one hundred and eight figures. There is no need to practice anything. After the soul is cultivated, the magic power can change between reality and reality, which is a quick way to achieve success in the heretic method. Hey, after you refine the 'Hundred Charms', even that person can't do anything to me!"

"I see. It seems that Jiang Xinzhou's disappearance over the years was caused by you secretly..."

Suddenly, a cold voice slowly sounded.

"So, the inheritance of Immortal Painting should also fall into your hands, right?"

"who?"

The old boatman stood up suddenly. He looked in the direction of the sound, his pupils shrank, and he saw a figure wrapped in a black cloak hanging above the dark water, with a pair of green eyes staring at him.