Chapter 195: Haunted Ghost Marriage

The village chief sighed and looked outside.

He looked at the village surrounded by mountains, his face somewhat anxious.

He couldn't eat or sleep well because of these things, and he felt relieved when he saw them coming.

He looked at Bai Yunshu and explained what happened in the mountains.

"Ghosts have been rampant in the mountains recently. Many villagers have encountered ghost walls, ghosts blocking their way when they go up the mountain, and even caused deaths. That's why we have no choice but to ask for a letter."

After all, this village is isolated and most people need to go up the mountain to chop firewood and send it outside to supplement their family income. They also need to go outside to buy daily necessities. No one dares to walk on the usual roads.

Because of the incidents in the past few days, he had to organize the young and middle-aged men in the village to go out to buy things together. However, after spending the night in the mountains, several of the middle-aged men were frightened and stopped going out. They have been in a daze ever since.

Hearing this strange thing, Qi Ningzhu frowned slightly.

She followed her master here and could feel the ghostly aura.

But they are all ordinary wandering ghosts, the kind that dare not come out even in the daytime.

The village chief began to speak mysteriously and in a low voice.

"They all said they saw ghosts! Lots and lots of ghosts chasing them, grabbing them, trying to drag them down to hell. Those who were terrified still have nightmares every night..."

Although it is said that if you have done nothing wrong, you don't have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door, but this ghost has come to your door to block the road and demand your life, how can you not be afraid?

"I heard someone was killed. Could you tell me more about that?"

Qi Ningzhu asked, and the village chief held his cane, his face trembling with anxiety as he said, "Well..."

He seemed to be hesitant to speak, and Qi Ningzhu noticed that he seemed reluctant to talk too much, so she immediately reminded him.

"You can tell me anything you want to say. We need to know the full situation before we can come up with a plan."

"It's nothing, actually. A while ago, several men from different families teamed up to go chop wood in the mountains, but they never came back. When we went to look for them, they were already dead, their faces ashen, foaming at the mouth. One of them was still breathing, mumbling about ghosts."

"Male or female ghost?"

"I didn't pay much attention to ask. After all, the one who was still breathing wasn't in good condition. He couldn't stop shaking when he mentioned the back mountain. If I'm not mistaken, there were both female and male ghosts, and even one that looked like a child."

Qi Ningzhu wrote these down.

"Is there anything in common among their families?"

"They don't seem to have much in common. The only thing is that they're all quite poor. That's why they have to go up the mountain to chop firewood and carry it down to supplement their family income..."

The village chief answered honestly, and Bai Yunshu nodded slightly.

"Can you take us to see those houses later?"

"Of course, but I'm not feeling well. I'll let my grandson Ajin take you there later."

Qi Ningzhu looked at the silent young man who had been standing next to him.

The boy had dark skin and looked very honest. He lowered his eyebrows and after receiving Qi Ningzhu's gaze, he glanced at her and then quickly looked away.

After inquiring about the ghosts in the mountains, he went to the Ji family to propose marriage.

When the village chief talked about the Ji family, he was extremely hateful and talked endlessly, listing all the sins of his family.

"The head of his family, Ji Wei, was a bully in the village back then. He committed all kinds of crimes, including murder, arson, and looting. He collected protection money everywhere and bullied orphans and widows. No one could do anything to stop him."

"So it's so abominable? Didn't anyone report it to the police?"

Yan Weiwan frowned and nodded to ask.

Why is this person different from the one she remembers? Could such a gentleman do such a thing?

The village chief sighed.

"Report to the authorities? How could ordinary people fight them? They have connections in the government. Besides, they were just protecting each other. After they had plundered enough, my brother passed the imperial examination, so they moved to the county town and became a moderately wealthy family..."

"Then what?"

Nan Lezhi spoke, and the village chief smiled and complained as if he was just watching the fun.

"His family was punished for this. They had four sons: one was sickly, one was a gambler, one was a drunkard, and one fell into a well while playing outside and drowned. Someone even set off firecrackers to celebrate."

"Ji Wei was furious at the time and sold all the maids and servants he cared for. He even beat all the servants to death and threw them into the mountains to be eaten by wild animals. This is something everyone knows, but later on the Ji family stopped people from talking about it, so not many people brought it up openly."

After hearing this, Yan Weiwan couldn't bear it anymore and raised his hand to interrupt him.

"That's not right. We were at the Ji family's house the past two days, and it seems like everyone in the neighborhood thinks highly of them. Madam Ji often gives out porridge and clothes and money to beggars. Master Ji has renovated many temples and donated money to build bridges and temples. Everyone who sees him calls him a kind man. This time, when he asked for a letter, he only said that the unrest in the family was caused by the bride."

They stayed there for two days. The Ji family took good care of them and were very humble. However, although there were many people there, there was always a dead feeling in the house, and Mrs. Ji looked rather haggard.

The village chief signaled to Yan Weiwan that we should not just look at the surface of many things.

"That's because they're afraid. They're afraid of retribution. They're afraid that God won't leave any descendants for the Ji family. So they want to make amends. But God has eyes. How could he let them off easy?"

"The Ji family's marriage proposal is, well... actually, it's quite strange. The eldest son of the Ji family has been ill for years, and after he died at home a few days ago, the Ji family arranged a ghost marriage for him. The bride is someone from our village who died a sudden death. She accidentally fell off a cliff while climbing up the mountain, and was secretly sent to the Ji family that night."

Hearing this, Yan Weiwan was shocked.

"A ghost marriage! But the Ji family told us that their son and this girl from your village were betrothed since childhood. The bride, dissatisfied with her parents' agreement and the matchmaker's words, took poison on the wedding day and also fed her son the poison. They both died in the bridal chamber. That night, the backyard has been haunted ever since... So, how did you know?"

When the village chief heard her words, he laughed and teased her.

"Of course, the reason for telling others is to make it sound better. We definitely won't say it directly. Everyone in our village knows about this matter because a lot of people came that night. On the night when the eldest son of the Ji family died, the news was spread that they were looking for someone to arrange a ghost marriage. Our village just happened to have such a person. Now everyone has kept the news to themselves and not said it to anyone, for fear of provoking some unclean things."

Hearing the word "coincidence", Bai Yunshu sneered.

How could there be so many coincidences in the world? They are nothing but reasons deliberately created for others.

She and Nan Lezhi looked at each other, and both of them understood.

Nan Lezhi's hands in his sleeves had already been clenched tightly.

The Ji family really dares to hide anything!