"Are all the people in this village bandits?"
Tan Wenbin found this hard to believe. Although his family had a history of police work spanning generations, Tan Yunlong rarely discussed work at home, and the issues faced by police in different regions varied greatly.
Xue Liangliang explained, "It's uncommon for a whole village to commit collective crimes, but it's not unheard of. Take this mountain village for instance. They have limited contact with the outside world, and their activities are confined within a narrow range. With family ties and connections serving as bonds, it’s quite understandable how they could develop a small-scale crime syndicate."
"But didn't anyone report them?"
Xue Liangliang looked at Tan Wenbin and countered, "Would you report your desk mate for cheating on an exam?"
"That's different. Cheating on an exam isn't the same as committing murder."
"That’s because you can recognize the difference. But even though smoking is harmful, why do you still try it? You see your father smoking, and your peers do as well. Subconsciously, you think smoking isn’t such a big deal. When a village full of people engages in criminal activities, those within it will also adapt similar thoughts, thinking it’s not such a serious matter."
Tan Wenbin pondered for a moment before turning to look at Zhu Yang in front of him, lamenting, "He has a wife and child at home..."
Zhu Yang was one of their fellow townsmen, but that was secondary. The main point was that he was a decent person—warm-hearted and honest, who enjoyed reading novels in his spare time and occasionally made clever jokes while talking. He mentioned that he didn't like being a truck driver, but for the sake of his family, he had to confine himself to the front of his truck. Now, he was trapped here.
Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuyuan began discussing another matter. "Xiao Yuan, if it weren't for that little girl, would we have been in trouble too?"
Run Sheng knocked the steel pipe on his chest, making a muffled sound. The gesture meant he was still with them.
Xue Liangliang shrugged, "Run Sheng, I know you’re strong, but what if they have firearms?"
Run Sheng frowned, unable to refute that point. He preferred to watch martial arts films over police dramas on TV because the latter featured guns.
Li Zhuyuan spoke up, "That’s a possibility, but it doesn’t really matter. That little girl wasn’t trying to help us. You three looked genuinely dead inside. She just came to collect lifespans, and it happens that a few bad events coincided, resulting in a net positive outcome."
Xue Liangliang replied, "The owner of the repair shop was also pretending to be honest, claiming that the robbers up ahead had firearms, which was how he tricked us into coming to this village."
"Perhaps he was testing us. If we weren’t afraid of firearms and kept going forward, they would suspect we possessed something formidable."
"Is this the usual level of cunning?"
"Absolutely. Because I couldn’t detect any lies from him."
"Xiao Yuan, you shouldn’t carry such a burden of responsibility. None of us noticed."
Li Zhuyuan shook his head. Ever since he finished his research on "The Essentials of Yin and Yang Symmetry," he could generally spot lies, but the repair shop owner showed no micro-expressions, indicating he had a strong mental fortitude and extensive experience.
"Brother Liangliang, it’s possible that the repair shop owner is the leader here," Li Zhuyuan waved his hand, "Let’s go around and check the ancestral hall."
The water level wasn’t too deep, even Li Zhuyuan could walk through it easily, but they had to navigate around a mass of corpses, which created a very oppressive atmosphere. Thankfully, the dead in the pond didn’t seem to be stirring, allowing the four to pass safely.
When they reached the main hall of the ancestral hall, Li Zhuyuan suddenly felt something and looked up. He noticed that several copper coins and swords hung from the eaves, both new and old, likely due to regular maintenance.
Li Zhuyuan placed his hand on the pillar in front of him and felt that it was not cold, but rather emitted a slight warmth. He glanced around the hall to inspect other corners, noting that everything matched in detail, and the boy’s expression turned serious.
"What’s wrong, Xiao Yuan?"
"Brother Liangliang, the person who built this ancestral hall was a real expert. Although the building is small and the layout modest, it creates a small closed loop resembling a dragon grasping water. Combined with the local feng shui and earth energy, it’s like establishing a little blessing within another blessing."
"This indicates the ancestors of this village were well-off?"
"Indeed, but not just ordinarily wealthy. Such techniques were usually employed for imperial tombs in ancient times."
"That’s truly impressive. I heard an old professor from a different school mention during my internship that ancient artisans who designed and built royal tombs were far wealthier than contemporary real estate developers in top districts of the capital."
"What a fascinating comparison."
Xue Liangliang sighed, "But ultimately, their descendants have fallen to this extent."
Entering the hall, they saw several memorial tablets, all bearing the surname "Wang."
"Brother Liangliang, don't you think there are a bit too few tablets?"
"Hmm?"
"Given the era when this ancestral hall was built and the craftsmanship involved, the number of tablets shouldn’t be this sparse."
"Some family ancestral halls have high standards for their tablets. My hometown is like that."
Li Zhuyuan approached the offering platform, jumped up to grab one of the tablets from the top row, and examined it both upside down and right side up.
"Brother Liangliang, something’s off. Even for the oldest tablet, the year isn’t very ancient."
"Is that so?" Xue Liangliang took the tablet to look at it as well. "I can’t understand this. How did you notice?"
"I happened to study tablets a bit recently."
"Xiao Yuan, what are you suspecting?"
"It’s hard to say, but I feel that even if this family has declined, their lineage wouldn’t fall so far as to invite an underqualified Taoist or monk to perform rituals at the village entrance."
Li Zhuyuan turned and began circling the inner hall. This wasn’t a brick wall; it was a wall made of pebbles, with stones of various colors and sizes polished smooth, arranged in a very reasonable and comfortable layout.
Xue Liangliang casually tossed the tablet on the ground. The ancestors of this village certainly weren’t deserving of respect. He then bent down and crawled under the draped offering table, trying to search for an exit.
Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin hadn’t been assigned specific tasks, but they weren’t idle either. The two knocked here and stomped there, hoping to stumble upon a dead rat.
After Li Zhuyuan circled the three walls, he paused, closed his eyes, and after a moment of reflection and contemplation, he reopened them and walked around again.
In fact, during his first round, he had already sensed something. The different colors and sizes of stones on the wall were, in fact, a massive disarrayed puzzle.
An ordinary person would never notice this; they would just think it looked solemn and beautiful. Even Li Zhuyuan in the past never would have detected it, but luckily, he had practiced blindfolded chess with A Li.
What a coincidence! Playing three rounds of blind chess corresponded perfectly with the three walls.
After his second look, Li Zhuyuan stood still, closed his eyes, and began piecing together the puzzle in his mind.
The puzzle contained words, and soon the first line was deciphered by Li Zhuyuan.
"The Ancestral Teachings of the Qi Clan?"
But all the memorial tablets bore the surname Wang.
Li Zhuyuan realized a possibility: This village was originally a branch of the Qi clan, but in modern times, a group with the surname Wang had taken it over.
It wasn’t that they had fallen or lost their way; they had been completely replaced, blood and name alike. The unassuming plaque outside the ancestral hall not only indicated ancestor’s shyness but also the descendants' lack of presence.
If the Qi clan had indeed passed down to the present, even if they had lost their status, they wouldn’t have been deprived of any decent feng shui master.
Li Zhuyuan continued piecing the puzzle in his mind, and after a long stretch, he recognized the content of the ancestral teachings. Though the phrasing was different, it essentially stressed virtues like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—pretty standard ideals. Li Zhuyuan skimmed through it quickly.
Continuing, he found words that were not just informative but were clearly pointing toward a specific direction.
Li Zhuyuan opened his eyes, glancing outside the hall toward the central position surrounded by dead bodies.
Earlier, the four of them had taken the edge and missed the exit they were searching for.
"Xiao Yuan, did you discover anything?" Xue Liangliang asked, brushing off the dust from his hands.
"Brother Liangliang, this village used to be called Qi, and this group with the surname Wang later took over."
Xue Liangliang was taken aback, then remarked, "That really aligns with the conduct of the people in this village. As expected, their ancestors were not good people."
"The exit lies in the pile of bodies; we need to move them aside to get through, Run Sheng."
"Got it!"
Run Sheng led the way out of the hall and into the pond, pushing the dead aside. Tan Wenbin rushed forward to assist.
The bodies resembled weighted dolls; they could be pushed aside but remained in an upright position after a bit of swaying. Surprisingly, after pushing a few batches of corpses aside, the remaining ones instinctively parted to the sides, making way for them.
This left both Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin confused, unsure whether to proceed. They could only look back at Li Zhuyuan.
"Let’s move," Li Zhuyuan prompted.
The four followed the nascent path among the corpses.
As they advanced, the dead on both sides, which previously faced the entrance of the ancestral hall, slowly turned to face the four.
Also, they adjusted their positions and directions according to the movements of the group.
Earlier when they circled past the edge of the corpse pile, the atmosphere was already oppressive. Now, the sight made their scalps tingle with fear.
Tan Wenbin muttered quietly, "They wouldn’t suddenly pounce on us together, would they?"
Run Sheng, who was at the front, reassured, "If that happens, I’ll hold them off while you all escape first."
Xue Liangliang speculated, "It doesn’t seem like they intend to attack us; rather, they seem to be being amicable."
"Amicable?" Tan Wenbin echoed.
"Yeah, one might even say they’re asking for something."
"Run Sheng, you can stop here; it’s right here."
Li Zhuyuan called out, and Run Sheng halted. In front of him was a taiji (yin-yang) symbol made of stones.
This place was the true entrance of life.
"Xiao Yuan, is this place it?"
"Yes."
"Let me try first." Run Sheng cracked his neck and was about to step inside when he noticed a familiar figure emerge from the pile of corpses—Zhu Yang.
He couldn’t speak, show expressions, or communicate, but he had moved from the front row to this spot.
He stood outside the taiji symbol, clearly not blocking the others from leaving.
Li Zhuyuan regarded Zhu Yang and said, "Don’t worry. After we get out, I will report this to the police; they will provide justice for you all."
Zhu Yang didn’t budge.
A chilling breeze suddenly swept through, not fierce, yet it carried an intense sense of oppression—sorrow, unwillingness, and rage.
Li Zhuyuan understood their intentions, but could only raise his hands to explain, "I understand what you mean, but I cannot agree. The four of us cannot solve this problem. Don’t worry; the police will eliminate the evil in this place."
At this moment, Tan Wenbin spoke up, "Yes, I promise."
Unfortunately, the dense mass of corpses around them offered no reaction, and the chilly wind continued to grow colder.
Tan Wenbin asked in confusion, "Why does it feel like our words are ineffective?"
Xue Liangliang quietly replied, "Perhaps because this isn’t your father’s jurisdiction."
Li Zhuyuan didn’t plan to linger on this topic. He pushed Run Sheng gently.
Run Sheng understood and stepped onto the taiji symbol.
Nothing happened.
Run Sheng casually looked around and asked, "Xiao Yuan, is there anything else we need to do?"
Li Zhuyuan shook his head, "Run Sheng, you step out; I’ll go in."
"Alright."
Run Sheng exited, and Li Zhuyuan stepped in.
Then, Li Zhuyuan also walked out, signaling for Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin to do likewise in order.
After all four had stepped on the taiji symbol, nothing occurred still.
"Xiao Yuan, what should we do next?" Tan Wenbin asked nervously, observing white smoke rising from the corpses surrounding them.
The water in the pond was becoming increasingly cold, approaching a bone-chilling temperature.
Li Zhuyuan only offered a one-word reply: "Wait."
Temperatures plummeted, and the areas of their legs submerged in water turned red from cold.
Run Sheng bent down and lifted Li Zhuyuan.
Li Zhuyuan didn’t refuse; he climbed onto Run Sheng’s back.
Surveying the surroundings, Li Zhuyuan noticed that the corpses were starting to freeze.
Their breath emerged as white mist, and Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang had begun to shiver.
Li Zhuyuan encouraged, "Just a little bit longer."
Tan Wenbin hugged his arms and trembled, "Will this really help us get out?"
Xue Liangliang chattered his teeth and replied, "Xiao Yuan should be right. Even if we find the exit, it still takes some time. Remember how the truck disappeared after we entered and exited the village?"
Tan Wenbin complained, "My brain is frozen; I can’t think. Just tell me straight."
Xue Liangliang explained, "The exits in this layered space aren’t one-time use; it’s more like squeezing toothpaste."
At this moment, the corpses around them were entirely encased in ice, resembling a vast expanse of ice sculptures.
The group’s endurance was nearing its limit, even Li Zhuyuan, sitting on Run Sheng’s back, was starting to find it unbearable.
Tan Wenbin speculated, "Is it because we didn’t agree to help them with revenge that they are trying to freeze us to death as part of a burial?"
After experiencing the little girl's betrayal on the train, Tan Wenbin no longer held any expectations of humanity concerning these "dirty things."
Xue Liangliang suggested, "What if we agree to help them? We can promise to call the police after we get out and also find a way to avenge them."
The four of them had no capacity to help with revenge; agreeing to call the police first only felt like a superficial remedy. Still, it was the only way to soothe them for now.
Tan Wenbin's lips turned purple from the cold, yet he couldn't help but say, "Brother Liang, you really know how to... fool the dead."
Xue Liangliang shot him an irritated glance, "You... have you frozen your brain? Don’t say it so plainly."
Li Zhuyuan struggled to raise his hand and said, "You two are having a good time talking... might as well huddle together for warmth."
Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin quickly understood, huddling together like penguins. Though this small warmth barely registered, it offered some psychological comfort.
Li Zhuyuan added, "This has nothing to do with them... it’s us... who are about to leave."
No sooner had he spoken, than he felt darkness enveloping him. With the cold vanishing entirely, his body began to fall.
"Splosh!"
Below was water, cold and frigid, but compared to the earlier situation, this water felt warm; it just had a slightly slimy texture.
Moreover, because he fell so suddenly, and he had initially been lying on Run Sheng’s back, he landed face down and straight on the water surface. Though it was water, it still hurt upon impact.
So it was that after falling, he was dazed for a moment, his body beginning to sink.
When Li Zhuyuan regained his senses, he felt a jolt against his back, pushing him in the direction of the force.
But quickly, a hand grasped his clothing, and another arm wrapped around his waist. A powerful force emerged, pulling him quickly upward.
Upon reaching the surface, Li Zhuyuan began to cough violently.
"Xiao Yuan, are you okay?"
Although it was pitch black all around, Li Zhuyuan recognized that it was Run Sheng who was holding him in the water.
Run Sheng had probably dove down to find him, but in the absence of light, he could only flail his arms and legs to try and widen his contact area. The earlier hit he took was likely from Run Sheng’s hand or leg.
Fortunately, Run Sheng quickly noticed and pulled him up.
"Cough, cough, cough..." That was the sound of Tan Wenbin coughing not far away.
"Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan, we're here!" Xue Liangliang called.
It seemed Xue Liangliang had pulled Tan Wenbin up because he swam very well, after all, he was someone who used to meet the current in the Yangtze River.
As they followed the sound, they gradually drew close and finally gathered together. Xue Liangliang spoke, "Is this a water pool? It’s so deep. Since it’s dark, the top should be a cave; we must have come out from the layered space."
Li Zhuyuan replied, "Now the question is, how do we get out of here and onto the shore? We can’t see anything, nor do we know how big this pond is."
Run Sheng suggested, "Xiao Yuan, stay here while I swim in one direction and see how long it takes to reach the shore. If it’s a rock wall, I’ll come back and swim in another direction—doing this a few times, we will surely find land."
"Alright, Run Sheng, but don’t swim too far. Let’s call out to each other; if you can’t hear us anymore, you must come back. Otherwise, we risk getting lost here."
Run Sheng had matches and fire starters, but after earlier freezing and now falling into the water, they would surely be unusable.
Xue Liangliang lamented, "Next time we come out, I must carry a waterproof flashlight."
"Brother Liangliang, even if you brought one, it wouldn’t help; our belongings are still in the truck."
"Oh, right."
As Run Sheng prepared to swim, Tan Wenbin, who had swallowed a few mouthfuls of water earlier, suddenly yelled, "There’s something down there, it’s touching my feet!"
Everyone was startled by his words.
Run Sheng did not swim out but dove down.
Tan Wenbin continued, "It’s a hand! I kicked a hand. There’s more than one!"
Xue Liangliang added, "Yup, I also felt it with my foot. Just now, it felt like I stepped on someone's head."
Li Zhuyuan, being the shortest, had less immersion in the water compared to them, but he felt it too—not only that, but when he reached forward, he touched something thick and greasy in the darkness.
It had eyes and a nose.
Li Zhuyuan promptly withdrew his hand; he had touched a face just a few feet away.
Xue Liangliang inquired, "Bin Bin, is that your arm?"
Tan Wenbin retorted, "I’m holding you!"
Xue Liangliang responded, "You’re not holding me right now."
"…"
Run Sheng then surfaced, shook his head, and remarked, "Xiao Yuan, it’s all corpses surfacing."
"Bloop…"
"Bloop…"
Nearby, the sound of bubbles continued to rise.
Run Sheng clarified, "This is the gas released from the corpses swelling up to the surface; it’s venting out."
Li Zhuyuan looked up, even though he couldn’t see the top: "We should be in a fissure below the ancestral hall. Those corpses are the victims we saw earlier when we were inside the hall."
The things they saw in the layered space were somewhat different from reality but did have connections.
No matter how rampant the villagers were, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to lay out the bodies of the people they murdered in the ancestral hall, so given that the earlier corpses were positioned in the center, their coordinates were likely on this vertical line.
It must be said, this truly is an excellent place for disposing of bodies—kill someone and toss them here, and it’s almost like nobody would know.
Tan Wenbin murmured, "They... they won’t turn into dead bodies, right?"
If all these corpses turned into zombies at this moment, the four of them would surely perish.
Even if just two or three turned, Run Sheng could only handle one; the rest could overwhelm the three of them.
"It won’t happen."
"Xiao Yuan, it’s fine, you don’t have to comfort me; I can face this bravely."
"The feng shui arrangement above the ancestral hall is profoundly beneficial. With blessings comes peace, and naturally, it has the effect of suppressing evil. These corpses, theoretically, shouldn’t turn into undead."
"Unless someone up there goes crazy and tears down the ancestral hall, even knocking down the columns—only then could the pressure below dissipate, but that would only allow one or two corpses to transform."
"If they all turned into undead, they would need to modify the feng shui of the ancestral hall. A mediocre feng shui arrangement is hard to change, but an extreme arrangement like this is easier to flip from one extreme to another."
Tan Wenbin commented, "Xiao Yuan, you only needed to say the first sentence; you didn’t need to add all that extra detail."
Li Zhuyuan answered, "Sorry, I’m just used to thinking that way."
He seemed to have this mental habit where every time he saw a formation, his first instinct was to think about how to make it worse and more severe.
It’s all Wei Zhengdao's fault!
Of course, given the circumstances, his thoughts were not entirely unreasonable. Almost every corpse here had died violently, and their grievances were substantial. The chilling experience in the layered space was essentially a manifestation of these corpses’ resentfulness.
Moreover, although the ancestral hall’s formation could prevent them from turning undead, it wasn’t particularly meant to suppress lingering evils. Thus, resentments would only accumulate, and corpses remained continually soaked in this pond beneath the surface.
They were basically sinking in a frightening "cesspool"—light a fire on this, and it could explode!
At that moment, Li Zhuyuan heard the sound of water flowing closely behind him—not animals or fish, but a subtle disturbance.
He began to pinpoint a location based on the sound in his mind and soon realized that the corpses rising to the surface were beginning to shift.
Tan Wenbin remarked, "Hey, where did the bodies beside me go? There were several leaning against me just now, and now they’re all gone."
Xue Liangliang added, "I can only feel just one here."
Li Zhuyuan quickly said, "Brother Liangliang, reach around the nearby corpse and see if you can feel any others at both ends."
"Okay, just a moment." After a series of nearby water sounds, Xue Liangliang responded, "Xiao Yuan, there are bodies at both the front and back; it seems they’re lined up."
Tan Wenbin queried, "Lined up for what?"
Li Zhuyuan exhaled a sigh of relief and said, "They’re forming a bridge for us, guiding us to the shore."
Xue Liangliang was startled by this but quickly realized something was amiss: "Damn, thank you!"
Xue Liangliang then asked, "Xiao Yuan, do we follow in the direction you’re facing?"
"Right, we should follow this path first."
"Then let’s go. Hold onto those corpses as we move; don’t get left behind. I’ll lead, Bin Bin will follow second, and Run Sheng, you and Xiao Yuan stay in the rear."
The four moved through the pond, holding onto the corpses like railings.
These corpses were generally plump, with some being thinner—that meant they had recently been murdered and disposed of without having yet transformed into grotesque forms.
As they passed a particularly normal-looking corpse, when Li Zhuyuan’s left hand brushed against it, whether by coincidence or otherwise, it just so happened that it fit into the other’s grasp, and he found he couldn’t pull it back.
"Xiao Yuan?" Run Sheng, who was behind, noticed the boy had stopped and hurriedly asked.
"I’m fine." Li Zhuyuan used his other hand to touch the corpse's face.
He couldn't quite identify a deceased person by touch, but he had enough elements to recognize someone.
Through touch, Li Zhuyuan visualized the appearance of this corpse—not very clearly, but he could tell it was Zhu Yang.
Li Zhuyuan pulled his hand back from Zhu Yang's face, wanting to pat his chest in a gesture of condolence, as if to "rest in peace."
Though it felt a bit odd to console the deceased, it was necessary to present his death in a proper light.
However, when his hand tapped down, it sunk in unexpectedly, sliding deep into the other’s ribcage.
He... was being disemboweled.
Li Zhuyuan genuinely couldn’t comprehend why the villagers took such brutal measures after killing someone. Not only had they robbed something, but they had also desecrated a corpse.
No, a more reasonable explanation would be that these corpses had been tortured to death.
Thinking back to the earlier scene when "ghosts" kicked open the villagers' doors, revealing the blood and gore in the beds and cupboards, along with the cured meat that Tan Wenbin had collected.
It was hard to fathom that in this day and age, such a profound evil still existed.
As he stretched his hand into Zhu Yang's chest cavity, he felt something hard and thick inside. When he pressed down, it crumbled upon contact.
It was books.
These were the thick, pirated novels Zhu Yang would pull out and read in his truck during his leisure time.
They had stuffed all these books inside of Zhu Yang's body.
"I’ve got it."
Finally freed from the obstruction at his hand, Li Zhuyuan withdrew it.
The boy continued forward, catching up to the others in front.
The expanse of the water pond was truly terrifying; even with the corpses to lean on for rest, they gradually lost strength.
Without those corpses acting as "landmarks," finding an exit in total darkness was akin to a fool's errand. Even if Run Sheng was fixed on swimming in one direction, he could easily veer off course.
Finally, ahead, the sound of water arose. They were nearing the shore.
Run Sheng helped Li Zhuyuan up onto a rock.
The four of them lay exhausted on the ground, panting heavily.
Li Zhuyuan said, "The time in the layered space is probably in sync with the outside. It should still be dark out there, so we shouldn’t delay; let’s take advantage of the dark to get out."
All four stood up. Just as they did, aside from Run Sheng, the other three swayed as they stood; having been submerged in water for too long, they were still adjusting to the pull of gravity on land.
Xue Liangliang remarked, "The last corpse was angled toward us; let’s head in that direction."
They proceeded along the small protruding section of the rock, feeling the shapes and curves as they walked. While it wound and twisted, the breeze grew more pronounced, and vaguely, they could detect a hint of light—a moon.
Alongside them, the water in the pond began to narrow, turning into something akin to small streams, suggesting that the villagers discarded bodies close to the shore instead of heading far into the pool, letting the current carry them to the deepest parts.
As they continued outward, the scene finally brightened. They saw the moon above.
Here should be at the base of the slope where the village was situated, while the main road stretched on the other side of the village.
Li Zhuyuan and Xue Liangliang simultaneously pointed in a direction—up the mountain.
Returning through the village to the main road was clearly impossible; if they were discovered, it would be tantamount to seeking death. Their only option was to circumvent the mountain.
This time, Li Zhuyuan led the way at the front of the group. As he stepped up the inclined path, he heard some commotion and immediately gestured for the others to stay low.
Everyone crouched still.
Li Zhuyuan edged forward. He had keen hearing and soon caught snippets of conversation among the brush under the trees—a man and a woman:
"Why are you in such a hurry? Don’t tear my pants!"
"Then hurry up and get undressed! You’re killing me."
"I’m already undressing! Let go; if you don’t let go, I won’t do it."
"My dear lady, don’t waste time; your man drank too much tonight. But he handles his liquor well; he might wake up in the early morning and notice you’re not lying beside him and come looking for you. What will you do then?"
"What are you afraid of? If he wakes up, it’ll at least be early, right? There’s time for you to do it once."
"I want to do it once and then have a break before going again."
"Look at you acting so dead."
Soon, muffled sounds began to rise from their side.
Li Zhuyuan moved aside and gestured to Run Sheng, indicating that there were two individuals under the trees, and they should subdue them directly.
Worried that Run Sheng might hesitate and attract attention in case of any mishap, Li Zhuyuan made a slicing motion across his throat, urging Run Sheng to choose a decisive and extreme approach based on the situation.
Run Sheng nodded vigorously.
However, just as Li Zhuyuan was about to make a move, the muffles ceased beneath the man's groans.
Li Zhuyuan and Run Sheng froze.
The boy felt his hand gestures had been swift, but unexpectedly, the other parties were quicker.
"How is it; feel good?"
"You feel good, yet you leave me hanging here!"
"It’s fine; wait for the second time—it’ll be longer."
"The village chief probably hit a hefty load this time?"
"Hefty load? The truck is loaded with steel cables."
"That can’t be right. I heard steel cables are worth a lot."
"True, they are valuable, but they're hard to sell. Selling in the town below stands out too much; that vehicle can only be dismantled for waste iron, and even then, they can only sell it bit by bit."
"What about cash?"
"Some cash is available, but the village chief said that four of the best-looking young men have gone missing. They wore good clothes; clearly, they had money in their pockets."
"Where could they have gone?"
"Who knows? The village chief initially planned to organize a search, but since strange things have been happening, we had to rely on someone performing rituals today, so everything has been postponed."
"This really is odd; the doors opened on their own! The cupboards inside were opened too, and the corn I laid out outside my house went missing—so did the bacon in my house! It feels so eerie. Do you think it’s vengeful spirits causing trouble?"
"What’s there to be scared of? Just like the village chief said, the fiercer the ghost, the more afraid they are of pig slaughterers. What’s more—our village doesn’t lack blood on any hands, young or old."
"In the ghost’s eyes, our village is the true Keeper of the Dead! Hahaha!"
"That’s not a quick claim to that title."
"Forget the first time. Just let me take my time again; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."
"This time, there’s not much profit to be made."
"Not a big deal. The village chief found the address of that driver’s house and the village phone number. He even found the letter that guy wrote to his wife and daughter in the truck. When the time comes, we’ll call her, lying that her husband had a car accident and is hospitalized. She should hurry over with her daughter and all their family money. Her wife isn’t too old and can still bear children, and her daughter isn’t small either—she’ll sell for a good price."
"Why not just buy them outright?"
"What are you saying? Two? I can't afford that."
"Oh, you really dare to imagine such things!"
"This is just joking with you! Don’t you know I only have you in my heart?"
"Uh-oh, the light in my house is on. That thing has woken up! I must hurry back."
"Damn it! Someday, we’ll get the chance to take care of it and toss it into the pond so that we don’t have to sneak around anymore."
"It won’t be your choice; I need to ask the village chief first."
"Not to worry; stealing has a nicer taste."
"Quit talking nonsense; help me think of an excuse when I return."
"Just say you saw a fox stealing bacon and ran out to chase it."
The two quickly gathered their clothes and hurriedly made their way back the same route over the incline past where Li Zhuyuan and the others crouched.
When they left, the four of them stood up again and continued up the slope.
As they walked, they were particularly cautious, fearful of triggering any traps.
Fortunately, they safely made it around, for perhaps the villagers preferred hunters over traps.
At last, after taking a long detour, they ascended the mountain.
Because the terrain was smooth here, it was easy to go upwards but challenging to go down.
From this vantage point, they could overlook the entire village. Since the ancestral hall was located at the highest point of the village near the mountain, sliding down here would lead them right behind the ancestral hall.
"Alright, we’ll part ways here. Brother Liangliang, Brother Bin Bin, just keep walking straight ahead. Once you descend this mountain, you’ll reach the main road. Remember, don’t walk on the main road. Stick to the side until you get to town and report to the police. If you see any truck with an out-of-town license plate, try flagging them down for help."
Xue Liangliang queried, "Xiao Yuan, aren’t you coming down with us?"
Tan Wenbin licked his lips, "I think it’s fine for Brother Liangliang to go call the police alone."
Li Zhuyuan shook his head, "No. It’s risky to go alone; the mountain path isn’t easy to navigate."
"Fine then." Tan Wenbin looked a little disappointed.
Xue Liangliang glanced at Tan Wenbin and then at the calm-looking Run Sheng. Finally, he focused on Li Zhuyuan and seriously asked, "Xiao Yuan, tell me straightforwardly, what do you plan to stay here for?"
A shy smile appeared on the boy’s face. He turned to gaze down at the tranquil and serene village in the night, responding in his clear, youthful voice, "This village is too quiet; I want to liven it up a bit."
(End of chapter)