October 15, 2024
Chapter 40
As the song began, Secretary Jin sang in Cantonese with perfect pronunciation, sounding quite professional, and her stage movements were more natural. Unlike Little Yellow Oriole, who, when she first held the microphone, mixed her Mandarin with the Nantong dialect. Yet, Li Zhuiyuan still thought Little Yellow Oriole sang better.
It was Little Yellow Oriole's song that had led him down a path he never imagined before. Of course, if one had to find a realistic reason, it could be said that Little Yellow Oriole sang with emotion, while Secretary Jin was just eager to finish the day's routine so she could dig graves at night.
At first, the surface of the fish pond was calm. But when Secretary Jin sang the part:
"Even if thousands of songs float on my path in the future; even if thousands of stars shine brighter than tonight's moon..."
Li Zhuiyuan swayed slightly, feeling a wave of sleepiness, and a familiar chill crept over his shoulders, much like how old injuries can predict the weather. He knew Little Yellow Oriole was listening, and she seemed to be showing signs of impatience. Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath to force himself awake; he couldn't afford to "walk the yin" at this moment.
A sharp electrical noise screeched from the speakers, causing everyone present to cover their ears. Children began to scream, and the performers on stage rushed to adjust the equipment. It was clear they were both familiar and unfamiliar with it. They knew how to operate it, but they didn't use it often. The equipment was old, and the troupe feared losing work, so this shouldn't have happened.
Li Zhuiyuan slowly lowered his hands, quietly gesturing for silence. He didn't know if Little Yellow Oriole could see him or understand his intention. But losing control now would only make the water monkeys suspicious and prepare themselves. Hold on, wait until tonight to solve it properly.
Soon, the electrical noise disappeared, and the equipment returned to normal. Such incidents were quite common on performance stages these days. The villagers, who had been uncomfortable covering their ears, resumed chatting and laughing, with no one leaving. Secretary Jin apologized repeatedly into the microphone, and the background music started again as she resumed singing "Thousands of Songs."
Her eyes showed impatience. If she had some professional integrity earlier, now she was just going through the motions. She didn't even sing the chorus, handing the microphone to the audience instead. During the first chorus, some outgoing adults and noisy children sang in their various versions of Cantonese, but by the second chorus, no one joined in, and the scene turned completely silent.
"Sing, come on, sing!" someone urged from below.
Secretary Jin maintained her professional smile and muddled through the song, not caring at all. After the song ended, she tossed the microphone to someone nearby and went to the corner to chat with a few people. An extravagantly dressed person took the stage, performing card tricks.
Li Zhuiyuan moved closer to the side of the stage with a group of children, barely catching what Secretary Jin and the others were complaining about—why it wasn't over yet. He had noticed earlier that all ten members of the troupe spoke Mandarin with the same accent. This banquet, with the chef and those responsible for washing and serving dishes, was arranged by the village chief with local villagers. This meant that the water monkeys were concentrated in this troupe. However, he needed to be cautious about whether there were others stationed outside as lookouts.
As the magic show ended, Li Zhuiyuan clapped along with everyone while slowly retreating from the crowd. By the roadside in front of Bearded Man's house, Runsheng was already waiting on a tricycle.
Li Zhuiyuan got on the tricycle, "Runsheng, follow this path to the village road, keep riding forward, don't stop."
"Got it!"
Runsheng started pedaling, and behind them came Tan Wenbin's voice, "Wait for me, wait for me!"
On the village road, the tricycle was in front, followed by a big boy running behind. The scene was full of life and helped avoid arousing suspicion. On the power tower in the middle of the farmland west of Bearded Man's house, an electrician in a gray-white work uniform was sitting.
It should have been a normal sight, but Li Zhuiyuan was looking for evidence with a conclusion in mind. He quickly noticed something unusual about this electrician. There were two bags hanging on the rack beside him, filled with food and water.
But this wasn't a remote mountain or uninhabited area; he could easily come down to eat and drink, so there was no need to bring it up there.
"Runsheng, turn around, go in the other direction."
"Okay!"
As the tricycle turned, Tan Wenbin finally climbed on, panting, "Don't leave me behind."
"Binbin, we need you now."
"Really?"
As the tricycle rode to the east side of Bearded Man's house, another power tower appeared in the distance. "Binbin, get off and chase the tricycle."
"Huh?"
"Quickly, brother."
Seeing that Li Zhuiyuan wasn't joking, Tan Wenbin immediately jumped off the tricycle and continued like before, shouting, "I haven't gotten on yet," while waving his arms exaggeratedly to chase the tricycle. As they approached the power tower, there was also an electrician on it. However, perhaps because the west side was closer to the village road leading to the main road, this side was the village's interior, so he seemed more relaxed, leaning lazily on the beam with a cigarette in his hand.
"Runsheng, head south to Aunt Zhang's shop."
"Okay."
On the way south, they saw another person. However, this person had it a bit rough; he didn't have a power tower, just a power pole, so he had to use tools to hang himself on it. Out of caution, after passing him, Li Zhuiyuan continued south to Aunt Zhang's shop to buy some things.
Tan Wenbin asked for a pack of Xiaosu cigarettes. Of course, he paid for it himself. After tearing off the packaging paper skillfully, he opened a corner of the cigarette box, turned it upside down in his palm, and tapped it, causing a few cigarettes to pop out halfway.
"Runsheng, want one?"
Runsheng glanced back, then focused on riding, "I don't smoke."
"Xiao Yuan, do you want one?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. Tan Wenbin had to take one himself, using a match to light it with his palm shielding the flame. "Hiss... puff... cough cough... ugh!" He choked and coughed continuously, tears streaming down, followed by dry heaving. It was clear that his technique was flashy, likely practiced in his mind many times, but he didn't actually know how to smoke. Tan Wenbin awkwardly explained, "A bit nervous, wanted to relax."
Even though no one told him what was happening, and he didn't know what was going on, he found enough immersion for himself.
Heading north was simpler because Li Sanjiang's house was north of Bearded Man's house. Passing by a power pole, there was also someone hanging on it. Li Zhuiyuan could now confirm that these four electricians were water monkeys in disguise.
Even if it were rural electrical maintenance, they wouldn't assign so many people in such a dense arrangement. Usually, one electrician would check a large area alone. But unless someone was intentionally looking, most people wouldn't notice anything unusual.
Everyone was used to seeing electricians on power poles occasionally, and since they weren't from the village or town, few would go up and greet them.
Returning home, Li Zhuiyuan went to the workshop, took out paper and pen, and drew a rough sketch of the farmland, river, and power poles with Bearded Man's house as the center. Runsheng and Tan Wenbin leaned in from both sides, seriously examining the map. In the flat rural area, there were people on all four high points, and these were just the ones they knew about. There might be other lookout posts they hadn't discovered, or ones added at night that weren't there during the day.
Originally, Li Zhuiyuan planned to sneak to Bearded Man's fish pond with Runsheng and the tools after dark. But now, that seemed impossible. During the day, the crowd could cover them, but at night, the village roads were mostly empty, and the lookouts would be even more alert while they were grave digging.
Li Zhuiyuan said, "There are ten people in the troupe, at least four outside. Including Ding Dalin and the two currently in the hospital, this group of water monkeys is nearly twenty strong."
"So many people?" Runsheng scratched his head, "I thought this kind of work could be done by one or two people."
Li Zhuiyuan chuckled. The difficulty of excavating a water burial tomb was inherently higher, and water areas were usually not sparsely populated. Therefore, water monkeys generally had larger groups, focusing on quick digging and quick departure.
"Runsheng, the problem now is how we sneak in at night without being discovered."
The methods they prepared were meant to assist Little Yellow Oriole. If they couldn't observe from the side, they wouldn't be able to grasp the timing of the action. They couldn't have Runsheng start fighting with the water monkeys before Little Yellow Oriole even appeared. If that happened, they might as well call the police now.
"Hey, Xiaoyuan, can we go this way?" Runsheng pointed along the river on the map.
"Go in the river?"
"Yeah, Xiaoyuan, we can walk underwater to this spot, then come ashore and hide in the haystack. For breathing, we can each hold a straw."
At first, Li Zhuiyuan thought this idea was unreliable, but upon further thought, it surprisingly seemed feasible. Runsheng was strong and skilled in water, with experience in underwater fighting. The twelve flag formation and corpse retrieval gear could provide enough weight for him to walk underwater. Moreover, the haystack was close to the fish pond. The only downside was that he might have to tie a rope to Runsheng when going along, which would look awkward.
"Runsheng, your suggestion is good. Let's plan to do that."
Receiving approval, Runsheng smiled, knowing that watching movies was useful.
"Nice, really a good idea." Tan Wenbin nodded, "So, can you tell me what we're doing tonight?"
"Binbin, after the evening banquet, I'll tell you everything."
"Xiaoyuan, you won't lie to me?"
"I won't."
"Alright, I trust you."
The evening banquet started early, inviting everyone to sit at five o'clock, and the dishes were served quickly. Li Zhuiyuan brought Tan Wenbin to find Li Sanjiang again, sitting down to eat together. Li Sanjiang's face was still flushed from the midday drinking, and he didn't feel very hungry, so he asked Ding Dalin next to him, "Why start the banquet so early?"
"Sanjiang, you know, I'm abroad, there's a time difference."
"Oh, I see."
The reason was flimsy, but since the dishes were already being served, there was no need to say more. Moreover, the kitchen was serving dishes quickly in the evening, one hot dish after another. Li Zhuiyuan knew this was to finish the banquet early, giving more time for grave digging at night.
During the meal, Secretary Jin whispered something to Ding Dalin. Ding Dalin then turned to Li Sanjiang, "Sanjiang, do you have lanterns at home?"
"Lanterns? Yes."
They had basic red and white items prepared at home for renting out during events. These weren't paper lanterns but reusable ones.
"We have a special custom where I'm from. On the night of moving in, we hang red and white lanterns on the roof. Unfortunately, the lanterns we ordered got delayed and won't arrive tonight."
"That's not a problem." Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan, "Xiaoyuan, go home and tell Runsheng to bring the lanterns and help hang them."
"Okay, I'll go now."
"Finish eating first, no rush."
"Not hungry, grandpa."
Li Zhuiyuan left the table, and Tan Wenbin grabbed a chicken leg and quickly followed. He had digested faster after running in the afternoon. Last time, Brother Liangliang told him about the experience in Baijia Town, mentioning the two strings of lanterns hanging on the archway.
It actually had a meaning: red for people, white for ghosts, red and white lanterns high up, separating the two worlds. Baijia Town had this due to its unique nature, with the Baijia ladies being in a state between human and ghost.
The water monkeys were doing this as part of their tradition, seeking peace and avoiding disturbance from the other side. However, this gave Li Zhuiyuan a new idea.
Returning home, Runsheng had already packed the flags and corpse retrieval gear in a white plastic sheet, with a strap slung across his upper body. Li Zhuiyuan knew this was for tying himself when they were ready to go underwater.
"Runsheng, there's a change of plan. I found a better way to get in."
"Huh, Xiaoyuan, what are you planning?"
"The most dangerous place is the safest place. Since there are lookouts on all sides, we shouldn't try to sneak out and then in."
"Still don't get it." Runsheng shook his head.
"I understand a bit, but I want to hear more." Tan Wenbin rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful.
Li Zhuiyuan gestured with his head, and Runsheng understood, picking up Tan Wenbin and taking him to the workshop behind the house, tying him up with a rope.
"No, no, you can't do this, Xiaoyuan, you promised to tell me everything."
"Yes, I'm telling you now."
Li Zhuiyuan crouched in front of Tan Wenbin, explaining the water monkeys and the main tomb in detail. After hearing it, Tan Wenbin showed an extremely excited expression, "So thrilling!"
Then, he wiggled his tied hands and feet, "But what are you doing to me?"
"Binbin, what does your grandpa do?"
"He's a policeman, and my grandpa on my mom's side is also a policeman."
"So what do you plan to do in the future?"
"Anything but being a policeman."
"Don't say rebellious things, what you say during your rebellious phase doesn't count. You'll definitely be a policeman in the future."
"I don't want to be..."
"Gag him."
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Runsheng efficiently gagged Tan Wenbin.
"Runsheng, what did you hear Binbin say?"
"He said he doesn't..."
"He said he will definitely be a policeman in the future."
"Oh, right, yes, that's it."
"A family of policemen."
Li Zhuiyuan leaned in, hugging Tan Wenbin. There wasn't time to go to the police station to hug a plaque, so hugging you will do, for good luck. After standing up, Runsheng also leaned in, hugging tightly, making Tan Wenbin roll his eyes. "Binbin, we're doing this for your safety. Next time, if we encounter a more friendly deadfall, we'll take you to see it."
"Exactly." Runsheng chimed in, "People are much more dangerous than deadfall."
Then, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng packed the items into the lantern covers and carried them to Bearded Man's house. By then, the first batch had finished, and the second batch was eating. Li Sanjiang and Ding Dalin hadn't left the table, still drinking. Seeing Runsheng, Li Sanjiang waved and urged, "Hurry up and help them hang the lanterns."
"Got it, grandpa."
Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor. There was an open hatch with a ladder beside it, leading to the roof. After setting up the ladder and carrying the items up, Runsheng began to set up the lanterns, stringing them one by one and lighting them in sequence. The east side was red, and the west side was white. After finishing, Li Zhuiyuan said, "Runsheng, I'll go down to move the ladder back, you stay up here and get ready to catch me."
"Xiaoyuan, no need to trouble yourself."
Runsheng jumped down, hooking his feet on the edge and swinging down. Then he grabbed the ladder, using his waist to swing it back to its original position against the wall. With another effort, he pulled himself back up, finally closing the hatch.
The whole sequence was seamless. Li Zhuiyuan could only marvel at Runsheng's impressive physical prowess. But that's his natural talent, something to be envious of.
It's unclear whether Uncle Qin's ability to grow gills and swim was innate or learned. Recently, due to consistent breathing exercises and horse stance practice, Li Zhuiyuan felt he had made significant progress. But all his hard work might just be to reach someone else's starting line.
At this moment, the young boy felt a bit of resentment and dislike towards geniuses.
Why?
"Xiaoyuan, what if they come up to check?"
"Runsheng, there's always a 'what if' in everything."
"True."
The local rooftops were just rooftops, not places for people to hang out. So unless the house leaked, no one would go up there. Most of the roof was covered with slanted red tiles, with low cement walls around the edges, too low for anyone to crouch.
So Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng could only lie down. Runsheng stayed near the hatch, holding a Yellow River shovel. His shovel had been modified by Li Zhuiyuan, bigger, heavier, and with a longer sharpened edge.
If the water monkeys didn't come to check the roof, fine. But if they dared to open the hatch and peek out, they'd face a strike from Runsheng's shovel. Gently covering his chest, Li Zhuiyuan felt his pounding heartbeat.
He was a bit nervous, but more excited. Binbin, I didn't lie to you; this really is fun. The reason I didn't bring you is that I don't want to increase the chance of accidents.
I want to keep playing in the future.
Occasionally, Li Zhuiyuan would lift his head slightly. He was facing the fish pond, with a perfect view of the stage next to it. Gradually, the second batch ended, and everyone began to leave.
Li Zhuiyuan heard Li Sanjiang's voice, drunk and holding Ding Dalin's hand, mumbling, "Good brothers, for life!" It was clear Ding Dalin was just humoring him, finally managing to persuade Li Sanjiang to leave.
Originally, the chefs and helpers were supposed to have the last meal, but they were given red envelopes and allowed to take leftovers, so they happily left. The bustling banquet quickly quieted down. The loudspeakers and speakers on the stage continued playing, but the troupe members didn't help clean up.
Instead, they checked the house and courtyard. Secretary Jin picked up a flashlight, turned it on, and spun it in circles. Soon, six high points outside responded with flashing lights.
One of them was above the haystack by the river.
Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself how lucky they were. In the original plan, he and Runsheng would have snuck into that haystack after coming ashore from underwater, walking right into a trap. Footsteps sounded from the second-floor balcony, with someone checking each room.
Li Zhuiyuan turned his head, looking at Runsheng, who was listening with his ear to the ground, Yellow River shovel ready. After a while, the footsteps moved away, and Li Zhuiyuan saw through the drainage hole in the small cement wall in front of him that they had gathered in the courtyard.
It seemed they had finished checking and overlooked the roof. The darkness under the lamp really worked.
Ding Dalin had changed into a bright yellow Taoist robe, holding a peach wood sword. An offering table was set up in front of him, with candles and offerings. Ding Dalin began performing rituals, and unlike Li Sanjiang, his movements were quick.
After all, he was just going through the motions before the water monkeys opened the tomb, whereas his grandpa sometimes had to entertain the host family, performing longer to make them feel their money was well spent.
But undeniably, Ding Dalin's movements and demeanor were much more standard and professional than his grandpa's. It was like the difference between Secretary Jin and Little Yellow Oriole singing during the day. Li Zhuiyuan paused, rubbing his forehead, wondering why he was making such random connections.
After the ritual, Ding Dalin didn't take off his robe but switched the peach wood sword for a compass, turning in place. The compass was entirely purple, large, intricately carved, and inlaid. Like a clock in a foreign hotel, the outer circle had a row of small circles representing different time zones.
Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. Compared to this purple compass, his custom one fell short, requiring mental calculations for adjustments each time. At this moment, Secretary Jin led the way, and all ten water monkeys knelt on one knee before Ding Dalin.
Ding Dalin stared at the compass, slowly raising his hand, "The auspicious time has arrived, begin!"
Everyone raised their hands, chanting something in unison. After finishing, they stood up and got to work. Water tombs had the advantage of low aerial detection probability compared to traditional earth tombs.
But water tombs were harder to rob and more dangerous, so this industry had many complex rituals and customs, not just to respect ghosts and gods but also for psychological reinforcement. Under the stage, many items were brought out, including two water pumps and a diesel generator.
There were also things like winch rings, with two people methodically setting up a frame. As times changed, the water monkeys' tomb-robbing methods naturally evolved. The noise from the water pumps was drowned out by the loudspeakers, and hoses led to the nearby river.
Soon, the fish pond's water level visibly dropped.
Runsheng moved over, since there was no longer any risk at the hatch. "Xiaoyuan, let me know when you need me to plant the flags."
"Yeah, it's still early."
The opportunity to plant flags would come when Little Yellow Oriole confronted the water monkeys. Only when they were in chaos could they take the chance to run outside and set up. The fish pond began to show its bottom, revealing mud and many dead fish and crabs.
The water monkeys laughed, thinking they were closer to their goal. But Li Zhuiyuan knew that if a small fish pond housed a deadfall, the aquatic life wouldn't thrive. So, this scene wasn't caused by the main tomb.
Five water monkeys in waterproof suits entered the fish pond, holding extendable iron rods to probe the ground. Then they removed the rods, extracting soil from specific depths. Ding Dalin sat by the fish pond, holding a bowl and a wooden spoon.
The deep soil samples were brought to him, and he tasted them with the spoon.
"Oh my, Xiaoyuan, look, he's eating dirt."
"Yeah, I see it."
Li Zhuiyuan didn't understand why Runsheng reacted so strongly. Eating dirt was strange, but it was more normal than eating incense. Although eating dirt wasn't recorded in books, Li Zhuiyuan understood its purpose.
It was likely a method of identifying the location. After tasting the soil five times, each time shaking his head, Ding Dalin finally nodded after tasting a sample. He pointed to a spot, and they began digging there, creating a pit and then using steel plates to hammer and embed them in place.
The plates had locks, and once embedded, they were all connected. Once done, they attached ropes and connected them to the winch. The machine started, and a large block of soil was excavated, dragged out of the fish pond.
Using an excavator would be too conspicuous, so this setup acted like one. Moreover, when they reached the tomb, they could use it to violently open the cover. Digging a tunnel was too time-consuming and labor-intensive unless they planned to hold the moving-in feast for an entire month.
Li Zhuiyuan knew they weren't using explosives because they were kind; it was simply because conditions didn't allow it. But even with the current method, continuing to dig would cause significant damage to the tomb. They just wanted to open the tomb quickly, take the most valuable items, and flee to sell them abroad.
With the steel plates and manual labor, a deep pit soon appeared. Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan was on the rooftop; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to see these details. Runsheng quietly asked, "Xiaoyuan, is Little Yellow Oriole not home?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, "She should be home."
He had sensed Little Yellow Oriole listening to the opera in the afternoon.
"Xiaoyuan, do you think there's a chance she got scared seeing so many people at her house and ran away?"
"That..."
Li Zhuiyuan wasn't sure either because the water monkeys had progressed this far, and nothing had happened. The "Records of Strange Tales from the Rivers and Lakes" described deadfalls as mostly acting on instinct, but advanced deadfalls could develop intelligence. This group of water monkeys was large and professional, so avoiding confrontation was normal. But Li Zhuiyuan still didn't believe Little Yellow Oriole would just run away.
"We found it, we found it!"
"We see it!"
The water monkeys in the pit, wearing helmets with lights, cheered excitedly. Li Zhuiyuan also saw the pit revealing a dome. The mud on top hadn't been cleared, so its true color was unclear, but the shape resembled a temple's spire.
Li Zhuiyuan was shocked; it wasn't an ordinary water tomb. Water tombs had many types, and the most taboo and troublesome were temple tombs. They were often built by ancient people to suppress some evil presence.
Other tombs had low chances of causing trouble, but temple tombs had high chances of causing trouble. Like the Bai family goddess statue unearthed recently, its original purpose was to suppress, and once the chains were broken, strange events happened that night. The Bai family goddess statue's small temple was nothing compared to the dome now revealed.
It seemed like a tower, and the structure of a tower usually had the smallest top. So, how big was the entire structure?
Of course, Li Zhuiyuan wasn't the only one surprised. As the person in charge on-site, Ding Dalin's expression turned grim. He couldn't care about his age, entering the pit with a flashlight to clear the mud and observe the details. Then he seemed to discover something, shivering and glancing at the other water monkeys, waving his hand. Secretary Jin also jumped down, asking, "What's wrong?"
"This is a temple tomb; it can't be opened."
"Why?"
"I've experienced temple tombs several times, and none were peaceful. Opening this kind of tomb will surely bring evil."
"Will there be good stuff in this kind of tomb?"
"I said it can't be opened."
"We've come this far, and you say we can't open it? We've spent so much on this operation, lost two brothers, and now the police are watching us in the hospital."
"Listen to me; you all said you'd listen to me. I'm the leader!"
Secretary Jin reached out, grabbing Ding Dalin's neck, coldly saying, "Old man, today this tomb must be opened. The police are already onto us. We need to finish this job and hide. Without money, how can we hide?"
"You... you don't care about your life... anymore..."
"Without money, what's the point of life?"
Secretary Jin drew a dagger, rubbing it against Ding Dalin's old face, "Old man, I'll give you one more chance."
"I'll open it... I'll open it..."
"Good, what's next?"
Secretary Jin released him, and Ding Dalin, clutching his neck, gasped and replied, "Small temple tombs focus on confinement, large temple tombs on sealing. They're meant to nail down the thing inside. There's no other way to open this kind of tomb. You have to use brute force to open a gap at the bottom corner and then pull with external force. But I advise you to reconsider, really."
"Heh, if you're scared, go find a place to hide and don't get in the way."
"Good advice is hard to heed..." Ding Dalin took one last look at the pit, then climbed out, leaving the fish pond. He picked up the compass again, holding it in his arms, muttering as if praying.
"Xiaoyuan, that old man wasn't the boss?"
"When he could lead everyone to make money, he was the boss. If he got in the way of making money, he wasn't."
Li Zhuiyuan saw that the old man recognized the temple tomb, but clearly, his words no longer mattered. Hooks were fixed, and after a signal, the machine started. But the cables tightened, yet the dome didn't come off, only tilting. In other words, the tower was slanted.
"Go down and pry!" Secretary Jin was now in command instead of Ding Dalin.
The water monkeys began prying and hammering, sweating profusely as time ticked by.
"Xiaoyuan, why can't they open it? I'm getting sleepy." Runsheng yawned, feeling drowsy.
Li Zhuiyuan also felt a bit bored, roughly estimating that the water monkeys had been busy for nearly two hours. During this time, people left due to exhaustion, replaced by others, likely swapping shifts with the lookouts.
"Crack..."
Hearing this sound, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng quickly perked up, finally seeing progress. With a gap appearing, it became easier to break through. Accompanied by the creaking of the winch, the cables suddenly recoiled, and the dome was lifted, revealing the inside.
It was unclear whether it was the top of the tower or a tomb passage. The experienced water monkeys retreated, not foolishly rushing in. After a while, seeing no movement inside, Secretary Jin threw several flares inside, but it seemed very deep, quickly losing light.
A water monkey brought a long pole with a chicken tied to the end, probing inside. After a while, the pole was retrieved, and the chicken was still alive.
"It's safe down there."
The pole was tossed far away. Secretary Jin nodded, "Go down and explore."
Two water monkeys tied ropes to themselves and entered the tomb.
"Xiaoyuan, what do we do if the deadfall doesn't show up? What if they really succeed in robbing the tomb?"
Li Zhuiyuan sighed, saying, "Then we..."
At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan saw Ding Dalin approaching the chicken still tied to the pole. He squatted down, reaching out. The chicken suddenly broke free, pecking his hand viciously.
This scene, Li Zhuiyuan saw clearly from above, but even he couldn't react to how the chicken did it. Because feathers and even chicken skin remained on the pole, it seemed to have jumped out of its own body to peck. Moreover, after pecking, it became more excited, clucking madly in place.
The scene was eerie. Though he often ate chicken, it was the first time Li Zhuiyuan saw a bloody, moving chicken. Ding Dalin, ignoring the bleeding hole in his hand, turned to shout at Secretary Jin and the others, "It's out, it's out, it's out!"
"Old man, shut up!" Secretary Jin scolded.
At this point, the water monkeys were gathered at the fish pond hole, waiting for a response from inside. Due to the angle, they couldn't see the chicken. Secretary Jin pointed at someone, "Go up and see what's wrong with the old man."
"Okay."
Before that person could go up, the two ropes signaled a pull. The two inside wanted to come out. The people outside breathed a sigh of relief, indicating it was safe inside. Once the two came out and explained, they could all go in and move the items. Secretary Jin ordered, "Pull the ropes."
The people outside started pulling the ropes, not to drag them out, just slowly lifting the ropes, meaning the two inside were walking out steadily. Soon, they emerged.
"There are good things inside, lots of good things!"
"So many things, but too heavy, the two of us can't move them. There's even a black coffin with chains, very grand, must have treasures inside!"
Everyone's faces lit up with excitement, and someone went up to help untie the ropes on the two. But then, the two untied the ropes themselves. Not with their hands, but their whole bodies, from their clothes, no, from their skulls, they crawled out.
"There are good things inside, lots of good things!"
"Go move them, go move them!"
The two bloody people danced with joy, urging their companions to hurry into the tomb. This bizarre and terrifying scene left all the water monkeys stunned. They were veterans of the trade, having been in many tombs and encountered incidents, but none compared to this! After opening the tomb, there was no fog, no poison, no deadfall, just a sudden, horrifying scene. "Tie them up!" Secretary Jin commanded, then quickly jumped away from the hole, crossing the fish pond to find Ding Dalin.
"Something happened, leader!"
Secretary Jin saw Ding Dalin huddled by a block of soil, hoarse but still muttering, "It's out... it's out..."
"Something happened, leader, come see."
Ding Dalin ignored Secretary Jin, continuing his earlier muttering.
"I said something happened!"
Secretary Jin kicked Ding Dalin in the back.
"Rip..."
A crisp sound of tearing flesh, Ding Dalin's robe and the skin inside remained, with gray hair on the scalp, while a bloody person was kicked out, rolling on the ground, embedding dirt and small stones into the flesh. Yet, even so, this bloody person continued squatting, muttering, "It's out... it's out..."
Secretary Jin took two steps back, incredulous at the scene, knowing that Ding Dalin had been outside the fish pond. If even he was like this, then the others...
Secretary Jin turned, looking at the pit in the fish pond, where bloody people were crawling out, running circles in the drained fish pond. Her face was full of fear. She raised her hand, touching her face. At that moment, her skin split open. Like taking off clothes, her skin and clothes all fell to the ground. The night wind, like a knife, cut into her exposed blood vessels. She squatted down, starting to scream.
All this happened in less than a minute. Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng both widened their eyes, turning to look at each other slowly. Runsheng, based on movie plots, and Li Zhuiyuan, on his mental simulations, had imagined various developments for tonight, but never expected it to go this far. Little Yellow Oriole didn't appear, but the scene below was far scarier than her appearance. Even if they were water monkeys, deserving their fate, they were still living people, stripped bare like peeling shrimp. Of all the deadfalls they'd encountered, none could cause a scene like this.
At this point, the blood-red Secretary Jin stopped screaming, staggering to her feet, taking a flashlight from her clothes, turning it on, and signaling with it. Soon, six high points outside responded with lights, and during the response, the lights were descending. Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized she was signaling intentionally, calling their outside companions over. And the result of calling them over was... Why was she doing this? Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a possibility: this thing wanted everyone who knew about this place to keep the secret forever. Was their current position still safe?
"Xiaoyuan, what happened to them? I didn't see who did..."
Below, Secretary Jin, who had her back to the house, lowered her arm, starting to turn.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Run!"
Runsheng hesitated, then immediately went to the hatch, ready to open it, but was stopped by Li Zhuiyuan, tapping his back repeatedly: "Brother, no time, just jump down, there's a woodpile behind the house."
"Okay!"
Runsheng didn't hesitate, getting up and rushing over, leaping down. There was indeed a woodpile below, but it wasn't very high. The drop from the roof was still significant.
Runsheng fell, unable to stand, crashing into it, scraping his skin in several places. But he didn't make a sound, immediately forcing himself up, facing upward, just as Li Zhuiyuan jumped down. Runsheng raised his arms, catching Li Zhuiyuan.
Even so, Li Zhuiyuan felt a thud in his chest, sharp pain in his ribs, and his nose scraped against Runsheng's arm, now with warm liquid flowing down. Such a hard landing couldn't come without a price.
"Xiaoyuan, are you okay?"
"Run..."
Li Zhuiyuan pointed forward, and Runsheng nodded, immediately carrying the boy, jumping off the woodpile, quickly crossing the village road, and entering the farmland. Now, they didn't have to worry about being seen by the lookouts. First, they had left the high points, and second, they were running to Bearded Man's fish pond.
Runsheng carried the boy through the rice fields, the rice stalks stinging their faces, feeling like cuts. This feeling was terrifying because they couldn't be sure if it was caused by the rice stalks or if their skin was about to break. Li Zhuiyuan was bleeding, trying to raise his head to stop it, but couldn't because of Runsheng's running.
Runsheng was also bleeding, terrified, unable to stop. Since he could remember, accompanying his grandpa in retrieving bodies, he had never seen such a horrifying scene.
Finally, Runsheng ran out of the farmland, onto the road, then along it, reaching their home's courtyard. In the workshop, Tan Wenbin was already asleep. Suddenly, the door opened, and two bloodied figures entered, scaring him pale.
Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head, finding paper to plug his nose. Finally, the nosebleed stopped. He rubbed his chest, the ribs still aching, but it wasn't too bad.
Runsheng took tweezers, pulling out the wood splinters embedded in his skin. After both finished, they sat facing each other, panting heavily. Runsheng's eyes were filled with helplessness, scared out of his wits.
Li Zhuiyuan's eyes were blank, overwhelmed. Last time, the Bai family ladies' disturbance wasn't as shocking or strange as tonight. After all, the Bai family ladies' methods were understandable and could be countered, but the situation at Bearded Man's fish pond had no clues.
Even now, Li Zhuiyuan felt a deep sense of unreality. Why was something like this buried in Siyuan Village? Just opening the tomb cover led to such a fate for so many people.
How terrifying was the presence inside? Li Zhuiyuan now doubted if Aunt Liu could handle it.
Seeing the two like this, Tan Wenbin knew something big had happened. He was curious and wanted to know, but they seemed to have forgotten he was tied up and gagged. So he could only wiggle to attract their attention, wriggling like a happy maggot. Finally, their eyes fell on him, showing surprise. Tan Wenbin paused, then wiggled more vigorously, no, what kind of look was that? You really forgot I existed! Runsheng untied Tan Wenbin, who wanted to ask something but immediately squeezed his legs, running to the bathroom. "Xiaoyuan, I feel itchy, but I'm afraid to scratch."
Li Zhuiyuan looked up, seeing Runsheng's skin turning dark red. He quickly checked himself, noticing he seemed a bit red too. "Xiaoyuan, are we going to end up like that?"
"No, if we were, it would've happened already."
"I'll wash with well water." Runsheng left the workshop.
After being freed, Tan Wenbin returned, not angry but curious, asking, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Binbin, wait for Runsheng to tell you."
"Still shaken?"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded.
"So serious?" Tan Wenbin hesitated, "Should we call the police now?"
"No, definitely not. That place can't be approached now."
Runsheng returned, dripping wet, wearing only shorts, barefoot. "Xiaoyuan, washing with well water really works. My skin isn't red anymore. Come over, I'll wash you too."
Though he didn't understand why, Li Zhuiyuan went, and several buckets of well water poured over him, his body shivering. But indeed, the red on his skin faded. "Xiaoyuan, it seems we're okay."
"Yeah, maybe because we were farther away."
"Also, we ran fast. Good thing you told me to jump directly. If we had waited to go down the stairs, we might've ended up like them."
Hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan imagined a big blood blob carrying a small blood blob running through the rice fields. "Oh no!" Runsheng's expression changed.
"What is it?"
"The flags are still on the roof, and my corpse retrieval gear is still there!"
Seeing Runsheng's pained expression, Li Zhuiyuan reassured him, "It's okay, Runsheng. We can make another set of tools."
Then, to prevent Runsheng from doing something foolish, Li Zhuiyuan warned, "Brother, don't go back to get the stuff without my permission."
Runsheng quickly shook his head, "I wouldn't dare, I'm really scared this time."
"Let's sleep, get some rest."
Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, entering his room, turning to look in the direction of Bearded Man's house. After hesitating for a while, he pushed the door open and went in. That night, Li Zhuiyuan had a dream, not "walking the yin," just a pure nightmare.
In the dream, he was still lying on the roof, watching two rows of water monkeys kneeling below. They repeatedly crawled out of their skins, becoming blood monkeys, then crawled back into their skins, like putting on clothes they had just taken off. Throughout the process, their piercing screams filled his ears.
Their eyes were fixed on him on the roof. He didn't know if it was a nightmare before waking up or if it repeated several times, but when Li Zhuiyuan couldn't bear it and jumped off the roof in the dream, he woke up.
Turning his head urgently, on a chair by the door, Ah Li sat holding a bowl. Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, lying back down. Ah Li saw he was awake, brought the bowl over, this time with a small spoon.
The girl didn't want to accidentally pour medicine on the boy's head while feeding him. Li Zhuiyuan sat up, accepting the girl's feeding. The spoon was big, and he quickly finished.
After losing a lot of blood from his nose last night, he indeed needed to replenish. The girl put down the bowl, tilting her head to look at him, sensing his absent-mindedness, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Ah Li, last night, I witnessed something very scary."
The girl took his hand.
Li Zhuiyuan placed her hand on his chest, feeling the softness and warmth, he closed his eyes again, taking a short nap.
Li Sanjiang yawned as he came downstairs. He had drunk too much the previous day, and now, after waking up, his head was still a bit dizzy. However, seeing the two people sleeping at the table, hugging each other, he couldn't help but raise his voice and scold, "Rascals, what kind of sleeping position is this!" Tan Wenbin was woken up, trying to free himself from Runsheng's arm but couldn't, helplessly looking at Li Sanjiang. But Li Sanjiang just cleared his throat and went to the courtyard to stretch. "Breakfast is ready!"
Hearing Aunt Liu's voice, Runsheng woke up, time to eat. Xiaoyuan was scared, and he was scared too, but Xiaoyuan had Ah Li, and he only had Ah Bin. Li Zhuiyuan also brought Ah Li down, and everyone sat for breakfast. Tan Wenbin changed seats, sitting with Li Sanjiang. Liu Yumei curiously observed Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng, noticing they hadn't rested well last night.
"Xiaoyuan, come here, try grandma's snacks."
Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked over.
Liu Yumei handed him a piece of pastry, "Did you have fun last night?"
Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how to answer.
Liu Yumei continued, "Did you see blood?"
"Yes, a lot of blood."
"Did you cause it?"
"We didn't do anything."
Liu Yumei was surprised, biting into a pastry, "Then grandma really misjudged, picking the tallest among the short ones."
"No, you didn't misjudge. There really was a king in the mountain."
"What do you mean?"
"They were skinned in one go."
"Skinned?" Liu Yumei found the term hard to understand. "Swallowed whole" would have been easier to grasp.
Li Zhuiyuan wanted to tell Grandma Liu everything about last night, but in this house, he had to speak in riddles.
"Alright, I'm done eating." Li Sanjiang put down his bowl and stood up.
Aunt Liu said, "There's more in the pot."
"I ate and drank too much yesterday, not hungry now. Tomorrow, there's a vegetarian event in the west village. Runsheng, come with me to Bearded Man's... oh no, Ding's house to collect the tables, chairs, and dishes, and deliver them to the west village in the afternoon. Don't forget the lanterns we sent yesterday."
Runsheng hugged a big bowl of porridge in the corner, pretending not to hear.
"Hey, Runsheng, I'm talking to you, did you hear?"
"Grandpa, I'm not feeling well today."
"Alright, not feeling well, I'll go myself. I'm not so old that I can't walk."
With that, Li Sanjiang went to push the cart out.
Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng quickly left their breakfast and ran up.
"Grandpa, Runsheng and I will go in the afternoon. No need for you to go."
Runsheng agreed, "Yes, I'll go in the afternoon."
Li Sanjiang looked at Runsheng, touching his forehead, "No fever, where are you not feeling well?"
"Just a bit, nothing serious."
"Heh." Li Sanjiang chuckled, taking money from his pocket and handing it to Runsheng, "After breakfast, go see Doctor Zheng, get checked, take shots or medicine as needed."
Runsheng was embarrassed to take the money, pretending to be sick.
Li Zhuiyuan took the money, putting it in Runsheng's pocket.
"Grandpa, I'll go with Runsheng to see Doctor Zheng, then collect the dishes and lanterns."
"If there's no problem, go collect. If there is, call me."
Li Sanjiang let go of the cart handle, lighting a cigarette. As usual, he was going for a post-meal walk.
"Grandpa, I'll go with you."
"You haven't finished breakfast."
"Like you, I ate too much yesterday, can't eat today."
"You didn't eat much yesterday, but that big guy ate a lot."
Tan Wenbin, eating porridge, looked up confused, "Grandpa, I'm Binbin."
"Let's go, grandpa, I'll walk with you."
"Alright."
Li Sanjiang liked walking with Xiaoyuan.
Li Zhuiyuan was worried that grandpa would head to Bearded Man's house, so he decided to keep an eye on him.
Sure enough, once on the village road, grandpa headed towards Bearded Man's house.
"Grandpa, let's go to the shop."
"What's at the shop so early? It's not open yet. I'll take you shopping later."
"Let's visit Grandma Liu?"
"I don't have much to talk about with Liu the blind."
"Let's go that way, the scenery's nice."
"Since when did the village have good or bad scenery? Let's go see your future home."
"My future home..."
"When Ding kicks the bucket, isn't it your home? Let's go see if he kicked it yet, haha."
"Grandpa, they just moved in, it's not polite to disturb so soon."
"What's impolite about it? Moving in isn't a wedding."
After a few steps, grandpa stopped, pondering, "I guess you're right. That secretary of his, who knows what she's for, probably still sleeping together."
"Exactly."
Grandpa smiled, quickening his pace, "Ha, now I really want to see!"
Seeing he couldn't persuade grandpa, Li Zhuiyuan grabbed his arm, speaking honestly, "Grandpa, something happened at Bearded Man's house last night. The entire troupe, including Ding, were skinned, dead."
"Xiaoyuan, why are you making up stories so early?"
"Grandpa, I'm telling the truth."
"Couldn't be more fake, haha."
Li Zhuiyuan was helpless; grandpa never believed him at crucial times.
"Xiaoyuan, look, the skinned people are coming."
Li Zhuiyuan looked up in confusion, seeing a truck loaded with sound equipment approaching, four people in the cab, and more standing in the back. They were all from the troupe, perfectly fine. The driver honked upon seeing grandpa. The people in the back waved, greeting, "Grandpa Li, up early?"
"Yeah, just walking. You performed all night and up early too?"
"Got to catch the next gig, slept in the truck."
"That's tough."
"See you, Grandpa Li."
"See you."
Grandpa waved at the truck as it drove away.
"Xiaoyuan, next time you make up stories, make them believable. That's how you write good essays."
Li Zhuiyuan watched the truck fade, feeling cold.
Impossible, he was sure last night wasn't a dream, not an illusion, not "walking the yin." He had seen the water monkeys skinned with his own eyes!
But the living people on the truck, what was that about?
"Sanjiang, morning!"
"Morning, Lin, walking too?"
"Yeah, getting old, sleep less. By the way, your tables, chairs, and lanterns, I had them packed. When will you pick them up?"
"Afternoon, the mule's not well, needs a doctor first."
"Oh, I see. Hey, isn't this Xiaoyuan? Such a good kid, walking with grandpa so early?"
"Yes, my Xiaoyuan is the best. Come, Xiaoyuan, greet your Uncle Ding."
Hearing the voice earlier made Li Zhuiyuan freeze. Now, he turned with difficulty, eyes full of disbelief.
Because Secretary Jin was supporting Ding Dalin, standing right in front of him.