Chapter 195 Laundry Girl

Different from busy Jiang He and Chen Xianglan.

Painter Li himself is just an ordinary person and has not been involved in the Buddhist sect.

He traveled around the world with Jiang He, and he really just traveled to study painting. Everywhere he went, he would find his favorite place to paint and sketch.

The same is true in Yinjiang City.

As soon as I arrived, I was immersed in the magnificent river scenery. I carried a painting basket and ran to the riverside to sketch all day long, using my brush to describe the surging river water.

As a result, within a few days, Painter Li's behavior changed.

One day, he came to the riverside with great interest and was about to continue to hone his painting skills, but his attention was attracted by a woman——

The woman was dressed simply and was washing clothes by the river with a wooden bucket.

It looked quite ordinary, but it made Painter Li stunned.

"Yun Niang..."

I don't know how much time passed before he came back to his senses and sighed softly.

"Yun Niang has been gone for ten years, what am I thinking..."

Just as he told Master Gu at the beginning, he also married a wife and started a family more than ten years ago.

But the wife was weak and something unexpected happened when she was giving birth and she was unable to survive.

Although the youngest son was temporarily saved, he was born with the same deficiencies as his mother and died early.

Continuously experiencing the pain of losing his wife and son, Painter Li was exhausted both physically and mentally. He turned away the matchmaker and has not yet had a new relationship.

At this time, he saw some shadows of his late wife on the washerwoman by the river.

However, Painter Li didn't think too much, otherwise he wouldn't be alone till now.

He put the matter behind him and continued painting, but he couldn't calm down. Pictures from the past kept flashing through his mind.

It wasn't until the next day that he saw the washerwoman again at the same time and place, but his mood naturally calmed down.

With this peace, he immersed himself in painting again.

By sunset, the washerwoman had already gone back, and he woke up from his trance-like state. Looking at the painting he painted today, he found that he had made some progress.

However, compared to the scroll, his heart was even more satisfied.

It's as if he has returned to the comfortable time many years ago when he was painting at home while his wife was polishing ink beside him.

[In the name of painting, you learned about the situation from the people of the Yinjiang family and gained a little bit. 】

[Returning to his residence, he saw Painter Li returning from sketching. Not only was he in a perfect mood, but the paintings he painted also made up for his shortcomings and made great progress. 】

【Painting also paints the heart. 】

[You know that Painter Li has always been thinking about his deceased wife, so he hesitated to start writing. Now he is full of joy and doubt in his heart. 】

[Then he decided to sketch with him, and Painter Li readily agreed. 】

For several days in a row, Painter Li got up at a fixed time to wash up and go out. He was in a hurry, as if rushing to an appointment. When he came back in the middle of the night, he was smiling again.

Even Chen Xianglan could see this boyish behavior.

Is this the second spring of rejuvenation?

Jiang He was happy for Painter Li, but also a little confused.

He could sense that Painter Li didn't have much femininity in him, and he had been going to the riverside to sketch recently...

In addition, among the various rumors about water ghosts circulating in Yinjiang City, there are many things like female ghosts being alluring.

Jiang He was worried that this guy might hit a ghost, so he planned to go around with him.

On the second day, Jiang He breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman by the river that Painter Li is paying attention to is not a water ghost, but an ordinary washerwoman.

Judging from her clothing, she seems to be a widowed daughter who lives a reserved life and makes a living by doing laundry for others.

As for why Painter Li is not tainted with the spirit of womanhood...

The reason is also very simple.

Jiang He spent half a day with him painting, but found that he had no intention of communicating with the woman. Even the painting was like a rolling river, seeming to express his inner heroic feelings.

Completely immersed in painting.

Maybe he was just borrowing things to reflect on his feelings and enjoy the atmosphere.

Regarding Painter Li's choice, Jiang He had no intention of interfering at all and continued to paint beside him.

However, what Painter Li painted was the water of the river.

What he painted were fishermen in the river and people on the riverside.

After half a day, the washerwoman struggled to carry the clothes and got up, about to go back.

Seeing the two of them still sketching by the river, they hesitated for a moment and walked over.

"What's the matter, ma'am?"

Jiang He's questioning voice woke up Painter Li from his painting.

He followed the sound and saw the washerwoman speaking softly.

"There are water ghosts in the river. Please be safe, gentlemen, and don't stay too long."

It seemed like he was just here to give a reminder.

The washerwoman was about to leave after saying this.

Jiang He noticed that the washerwoman had old scars under her black hair, like those left by wild beasts, and asked.

"Madam, have you ever seen a water ghost in the river?"

The washerwoman lowered her head slightly, her eyes covered by blue silk.

"My husband died because of a water ghost."

"Feel sorry……"

"Sir, there is no need to worry about it. The ghosts in the Yinjiang River are very strong and will come and go during the day. Don't stay here for too long."

The washerwoman bowed slightly and left with her clothes.

Painter Li looked at her retreating back and thought about how she had persisted until now after the death of her husband. He was moved in his heart and sighed softly.

"It's really respectable."

Jiang He nodded slightly, but thought of more——

Painter Li couldn't see it, but through the hanging black hair, he could see the deep hatred flashing in the washerwoman's eyes when she talked about the water ghost's dead husband.

But looking at his conversation, he was too calm and seemed to have completely let go of the past.

and……

If someone close to him died from a water ghost on the riverside, would ordinary people approach the river without any psychological burden, and would they even spend most of the day doing laundry by the riverside?

It is a very strange thing for a person to take the initiative to remind others to be careful about water ghosts but not care about it himself.

With this idea in mind, after Jiang He returned to Yinjiang City, he immediately went to the city government to visit the city officials.

The washerwoman was not very old, and her husband was killed by a water ghost, probably in the past few years.

There should be files kept in the government office.

[You state your purpose of coming, and the Yinjiang city officials readily agree and send someone to fetch the files on water ghosts harming people for you to take a look at. 】

[After you flip through it for a while, you will see the file of the washerwoman. 】

[It records that five years ago, a couple in Yinjiang City encountered a water ghost on the riverside. The husband sacrificed his life to feed the ghost in order to save his wife. 】

[When his wife came looking for soldiers patrolling the river, her husband had died in the river and there was no trace. 】

[The soldiers patrolling the river used the remaining traces to find the water ghost and killed it. 】

[However, his wife said that the ghosts killed by the officers and soldiers were not those who killed their husbands. 】

[He said that the officers and soldiers patrolled the Yinjiang River again and found no traces. He was considered to be frightened and his memory was confused, and the case was closed from then on. 】

Jiang He closed the file and already had a judgment in his mind.

For a woman who saw her husband die in front of her eyes, it must be an unforgettable scene.

Water ghosts are transformed from people who drowned or died in vain, and they also have faces and characteristics.

It's hard to say she would have identified the wrong murderer.

But the water ghosts killed by the soldiers patrolling the river were not fake. How could there be two water ghosts?

"Maybe not."

"The newly born Sneaky is not very powerful. It is very difficult to kill the old, weak, sick and disabled. Most of them drown people in the river. It is difficult to kill the brave and strong."

"But if a Buddhist temple spends its energy cultivating sneaky people and then exterminates them after harming people, the price is too high."

"If a Buddhist temple secretly raises a few sneaks, when the time is right, it will trigger the emergence of a new water ghost, and then use the name of the new water ghost to hunt down Jiang people."

"Even if they are discovered, the government will destroy the new water ghosts..."

“Not only can the case be successfully concluded, but the cost is also extremely low.”

The thoughts in my heart are spinning.

Jiang He asked.

"How strong are these water ghosts killed by the government?"

"Naturally, they are all new-born ghosts with little power... Therefore, most of the victims are ordinary people, and few martial arts practitioners are harmed by sneaky ghosts."

The Yinjiang city official asked curiously.

"Brother Gu, you are so concerned about the water ghosts in the Yin River. Do you have an idea?"

Jiang He didn't answer and said instead.

"If the water ghosts in the Yin River are not natural, but man-made..."

"The people behind the scenes can hide for so long, so they must be deeply involved."

"Even if you and I find out something, how can we deal with it?"

"Brother Gu is overly worried. Is there anything in the world that is beyond the reach of the royal family? In the world of Daluo, there are things that I, the imperial official, cannot afford?"

Yinjiang city officials did not doubt Jiang He's statement.

When Feng Shui is normal and is not a matter of heaven and earth, it can only be man-made.

This is not a new idea, it’s just that those Yinshan city officials failed to find anything in the past.

He laughed for a moment, looked around again, arranged a silencer method, and said through sound transmission.

"Brother Gu, don't worry. If you and I find out anything, we can report it to the court first... When someone comes from Dizhou, no matter how big the implication is, the truth will come to light."

I saw that the Yinjiang city official showed no signs of recklessness at all.

Jiang He nodded in agreement.

…

The banks of the Yinjiang River.

Uncharacteristically, Master Gu decided to stay in Yinjiang City for a while after spending his money.

Chen Xianglan had no objection, and Painter Li certainly had no objection.

He goes out early every day and comes back late every day, lingering by the river to sketch.

With such a regular schedule, Chen Xianglan couldn't help but spoke to him.

"She has been widowed for many years, and you have been widowed for many years. Instead of running to the river every day, it is better to just ask the matchmaker to come to your door to propose marriage."

Painter Li hesitated for a long time before refusing.

"She has never remarried and she should still miss her ex-husband."

"And I also miss Yun Niang, so I can't regard her as a replacement."

This is why Painter Li sketched by the river every day, but never took the initiative to communicate with the washerwoman.

He also wants to travel with Master Gu and will leave soon.

It's enough to be just a passerby who can miss his deceased wife.

Chen Xianglan sneered at this.

She had traveled around the world for many years, and she looked down on such indecisive men the most. She would pursue him if she liked him, and when she really remarried, she would have no regrets after taking the medicine.

However, she was busy practicing and didn't say anything more.

Until a certain day.

Painter Li was sketching by the river, but it was difficult to put pen to paper.

During these days, he was immersed in the waves of the river. He had described it thousands of times and was already familiar with the power of the river.

The current of the river today gave him an inexplicable cold feeling.

Just as he hesitated, there was a sudden scream.

He followed the sound and saw an evil ghost with a green face, fangs and loose hair breaking through the river surface and rushing to the shore. In an instant, he disemboweled a person and dragged him into the water!

This river bank is relatively gentle, and not only washerwomen, but also many people from nearby towns come here to fetch water for washing.

Seeing this, they screamed and ran away.

Only the washerwoman stayed where she was, as if stunned.

Painter Li was also frightened, but saw a black shadow flashing in the blood, rushing towards the washerwoman.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword for self-defense and rushed over.

"Run!"

Familiar scenes, familiar words.

The washerwoman glanced subconsciously, but didn't see a familiar figure.

The water surged, and the evil spirit broke out of the water again and rushed towards her!

When Painter Li saw this scene, his eyes were about to burst.

at the same time.

But the washerwoman seemed to have practiced it thousands of times. She kicked over the wooden bucket containing clothes, pulled out a sword shaped like a Taoist door, and struck the evil ghost's claw with her backhand sword!

At the moment of contact, the evil ghost's sharp claws suddenly retracted as if they were in contact with flames, screaming in pain.

Painter Li was stunned, his feet slipped, and he fell into the muddy water. He raised his head blankly and looked at the washerwoman.

"ah…?"