Chapter 10: Guests before the cup at the table, transformed into people in the canal

Apu felt that his body was incredibly heavy, to the point that he hardly felt the cold wind and rain hitting him.

When he walked into the courtyard, he raised his head and glanced inside the courtyard

Continuous rain has caused the open drainage ditch outside the courtyard to be filled to the brim with water. The ditch, which is more than three feet wide, is filled with murky rainwater, with grass and leaves floating on the surface

In Ap's heart, a thought flashed through in an instant. When he looked again at the brightly lit room, his eyes were already filled with fear

Apu's lips were blue in the cold rain, and he trembled all over as he said to Monia: "I... I... I will take you to see something!"

"What are you doing? Why are you standing in the yard getting soaked in the rain instead of enjoying the fine wine?" Monia, already flushed from drinking, said to Ap with a playful expression on his face

Ahura is above! Apur only felt a dizziness in his mind, and he grasped the door frame beside him, preventing himself from stumbling into the ditch in front of him

Ah!

Upon thinking of this, Apur lowered his head and cast a glance at the corpse floating in the ditch

Before he could discern the situation, a flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky. This was immediately followed by the rumbling of thunder, which emanated from the dense clouds.

Only the corpse was seen drifting in the water, slowly floating closer and closer to him, its features becoming increasingly clear.

By the flash of this lightning, Ap looked clearly at that thing in the ditch.

As it happens, this Ap, taking advantage of the corridor by the courtyard wall to shield himself from the rain, circled halfway around the yard and was now approaching the entrance of the courtyard.

Faced with the room before him, Apin found himself in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, truly caught in a predicament at that moment

This time, he did not pass through that corridor. Instead, he ran directly through the curtain of rain towards the opposite side.

In this way, the Alan who celebrated with him for an entire day... could it be that he is the... ghost

At a glance, Ap looked at this person, who had a high nose and deep-set eyes, with a thick yellow beard on his chin—this person was actually...! ... Alan!

As soon as he enters that room, he will be able to see his few friends. These terrifying illusions should then disappear, right

Apu continued forward on the clean bluestone path washed by the rain, pushing open the door and stepping out of the courtyard

Oh my! This face... is truly Alan!

Floating in there is actually a human corpse

Recently, there has been continuous rain, and the ditches are overflowing with water. The sewage in the latrine is flowing everywhere, and the little ones are afraid of soiling their shoes and socks, so they specifically go outside the courtyard to relieve themselves

A sudden thought struck Ap, what if his friend Alan had already passed away

At this moment, the sky appeared increasingly ominous. The cold wind, mixed with raindrops, fell intermittently, and the air was cool with a hint of chill.

Suddenly, he saw something floating in the ditch, resembling a piece of dark wood.

How is this possible

He gritted his teeth tightly, desperately grasping the door frame in front of him, and moved his feet forward with all his might. After exerting an immense effort, he finally managed to move himself into the courtyard. For this mere distance of two or three steps, he nearly used up all his strength!

If that corpse is real ... ? ... then how should we explain the Alan inside the house

But in the blink of an eye, his corpse unexpectedly appeared here

At the corner of the wall outside the courtyard, he turned around and unfastened his clothing, preparing to relieve himself in the open drainage ditch outside the courtyard

The Hu merchant who had crossed the ocean to be with him, just moments ago, was still drinking and laughing with him

As he looked on, Apu ran a few steps to the center of the yard. However, he suddenly came to a halt!

From Shen Mo's perspective, after Lord Lu passed the imperial examination, his first official appointment was as the magistrate of Qiantang County. In fact, he inherently lacked a certain degree of official authority, and there was a sense of pretense about him. This was likely due to his relatively shallow experience in the officialdom, leaving him feeling uncertain and lacking confidence.

This person is lying on their back, floating on the water. Their face bears the waxy yellow pallor characteristic of the deceased, indicating that they are thoroughly dead

Not right

In the room behind, his four friends were still laughing and talking loudly. Each of them had consumed quite a bit, and now they were all nearly drunk

However, Magistrate Lu's question is indeed a good one. Why does this Hu merchant, Ah Pu, choose to walk a long way around to urinate outside the courtyard door when there is a perfectly good toilet nearby?

Should I walk into that room? If I expose that Alan is a ghost, will he immediately fly into a rage and turn on me?

He is currently fixated on one thought: the corpse before him is not real, his companion Alan is still alive and drinking in the room. He must have encountered a ghost!

You may not be aware, my dear adult!" Apu replied with a mournful expression.

Just before Apur crossed the courtyard gate, he could still hear the loud laughter and chatter of Alan and the other three merchants inside the house

"There is a latrine in your yard, right on the west side of the house. Why do you need to go out to relieve yourself?" The county magistrate's eyes were bright and fixed on Ap.

The magistrate of Lu County nodded upon hearing this. There seemed to be a hint of frustration in his expression as he looked up and gestured for Ap to continue.

Apu was taken aback, and when he looked up, a weight was finally lifted from his heart. The person who came out was not Alan, but the merchant Monia who had accompanied him.

"It is not true, this is not true!" Apu repeatedly told himself in his heart, "I must have been seeing things because I was drunk!"

He appeared as if he had lost his soul, drifting aimlessly, his body incredibly stiff. Even the slightest movement of his feet was an arduous task

At that moment, the sound of the door was heard, and a person walked out from inside the room

Shen Mo observed coldly; the county magistrate appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old and indeed possessed a handsome appearance

Through a dense curtain of rain, the house where he lived was brightly lit. The familiar aromas of wine and dishes, along with the warm glow of the lights, and more importantly, the laughter and chatter of his friends, returned to his senses once again

At the very moment when Apur wanted to urinate

He could hardly believe everything that was happening before his eyes

At that moment, Apur felt a chill run down his spine, and every hair on his body stood on end. He stood there frozen, as if struck by lightning.

Ahura bless! Apu desperately moved his legs, exerting all his strength, running towards the house!

This thought flashed through Ap's mind like lightning, causing him to come to an immediate halt.